


Angel in an Apron

by Pigeonations



Category: Yandere Simulator (Video Game)
Genre: Amai is too sweet for her own good, F/F, Femslash February, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 11:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13569333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pigeonations/pseuds/Pigeonations
Summary: Amai is determined to expand her club and gain some new members, but when her campaign trail crosses path with the wrong crowd, she might end up with a lot more on her plate than originally intended.





	1. Cupcakes and Crowbars

Today was the day.

Amai looked at her stack of flyers and smiled as she picked them up and slid them carefully into her bag. It took several hours of meticulous glitter sprinkling and a lot of printer ink, but at last, her recruitment flyers were complete and ready to be hung around school grounds. The Cooking Club at Akademi High seemed to be fairly popular in previous years, but Amai had a new goal for the club. She wanted to transform it, revolutionize it, even. The club attracted the same crowd every year: a group of girls (all who seemed to already know each other in some way), a few boys who would join just to talk to said girls, the occasional boy would held an actual interest in cooking, and a few club hoppers who would conveniently show up once the food was prepared. 

Amai was grateful for these members, but she couldn't help but feel as if her club was becoming a bit...stale. 

 

Her goal for the year: recruit some fresh members for her club.

She hummed as she moved over to her kitchen counter, carefully picking up the lid to her cupcake carrier, and checking to see if her cupcakes were still light and fluffy.

"Perfect!" She placed the lid back on and secured it, picking up her carrier with one hand and slinging her bag over her should with the other.

Today had to be the day.

* * *

 

The lunch bell chimed throughout the hall, releasing the students from the classroom. Chatter quickly filled the halls as the students clustered, falling back into their usual circles and heading to their usual hangout spots. Amai grabbed her bag and rushed out of her class, down to her club room, opening the refrigerator and letting out a sigh of relief upon seeing her cupcakes, still safe and sound. She grabbed the carrier and closed the door with her heel, humming as she made it out of the classroom and into the halls.

 

"Let's see..."

 

She took her place against a wall, gently setting her carried down on the ground and removing a few flyers from her back. Amai cleared her throat, and began waving her flyers around to capture people's attention, calling out, "Join the cooking club! We're accepting of all members!" every so often. A few students would come up to her, taking a flyer and half heartedly listening with their eyes locked on her cupcakes as Amai began her spiel on the benefits of joining the club.

She saw a few familiar faces take a flyer and a free cupcake. She was grateful for their commitment, but if she was going to achieve her goal, she had to step into some people's comfort zones.

"Mai!" Amai called out after her as Mai tried to hurry past her and towards the roof of the school. Mai froze, hesitantly turning around and forcing a smile.

 

"Uh, hey...!

 

"What are you up to?"

 

"Oh, you know...homework and, um." Mai began to fidget. "Other things. Homework! Yeah."

 

"Mai, is everything okay? Amai began to frown.

 

"M-Mmhm! I'm fine!" Mai looked around nervously.

 

"Al...right. Well, since I have you here, consider joining to cooking club!" Amai handed her a flyer. She picked up her cupcake carrier and removed the lid. "Cupcake?"

 

Mai nodded quickly, taking a cupcake and running off. "Okay, thanks!"

 

Amai looked on in confusion. That was certainly something.

 

"Maiiiiii, wait!" Amai could only see a bright flash of green as Midori zipped past her and towards Mai. "I gotta ask you something!"

 

"Ah, Midori, join the--" Amai trailed off as she disappeared around the corner. "...Cooking club."

She looked down at her cupcakes. She was already starting to run out. Placing the lid back over them, Amai made her way out of hall and outside of the building. Her next target: the few students who meandered outside during lunchtime. They were a difficult target-- many of them were shy and a tad standoffish, but Amai had no doubts in her own abilities. Amai began her patrol around the building, keeping a sharp eye out for potential new recruits.

She saw a group of students huddled around the back of the building.

 

_ Perfect. _

She eagerly began to run towards them, a few flyers slipping out of her hands as she ran. "Excuse me!"

The group turned their heads at her in unison. each of them scowling.

Amai skidded to a halt and took a minute to straighten out her clothes to appear more presentable. "Hello! I don't believe I've seen you all before. I'm Amai Odayaka, and I--"

 

"The _fuck_ do you want?" One of the girls spoke up, malice dripping from her voice.

 

Amai blinked, taken aback. "I'm..." She cleared her throat, putting herself back on track. "I'm here to recruit new members for the cooking club! Would you been interesting in joining?"

 

The mood suddenly grew tense. The boys began to snicker as the girls began whispering amongst themselves. 

 

"Listen, girly," Another girl, one with a bright green streak in her hair spoke up. "Why don'tcha run along back to where you came from?"

 

"It'd be a shame if your pretty little posters ended up in the incinerator." One of the boys looked up Amai, eyes nearly cutting right through her.

 

"Ah, going to chalk down you all as a "possible maybe"." Amai mumbled. "Oh!" She lifted up her cupcake carrier. "Please, have a cupcake! Perhaps it'll change your mind!"

 

"Can I help you?" A deep voice startled Amai, nearly causing her to drop her cupcakes. Her blood suddenly ran cold as she felt a looming presence over her shoulder.

 

"Boss! Thank god! This dumbass over here keeps botherin' us about some club."

 

"You." The voice spoke up again. Amai turned around, her facial expression calm and her nerves running wild. She backed up immediately once she came face to face with a pair of piercing brown eyes. The girl before appeared to be twice her own size and could quite frankly, probably crush her like a grape if she blinked at her hard enough. 

 

"Um..."

 

"What, you scared?" The girl smirked. She bent down and leaned in closer, just inches away from touching Amai's face. "Talk. Now."

 

Amai shook her head and shook any incoming negative thought out of her mind. "I'm Amai Odayaka. And you are?" She offered her hand and her best smile. The girl in front of her frowned.

 

"You've never heard of her before?" The girl with the lime streak spoke again. "Ha! You really are a dumbass, aren't you?" 

 

"Let's teach her a lesson, eh, boss?" The red streaked girl spoke this time.

 

"It's alright if you don't want to tell me. I...I understand." Amai nodded. "Would you like a fly--"

 

"Shidesu." The tall girl stood up straight.

 

"Beg pardon?"

 

"Shidesu. Osoro Shidesu. Forget it, and see what happens. I dare you."

 

Amai pouted a bit. How could a group of people be so cruel? All she wanted to do is share her baked goods and cooking talents with her fellow students. Despite her setbacks, she was still determined. She returned her hand to her side.

 

"Fine, Ms. Shidesu. I was wondering if you were interesting in joining the cooking club!" Amai offered a flyer adorned in pale green glitter. Osoro looked down at it in disgust, snatching it out of Amai's hand.

 

"We meet on Mondays if you're interested!"

 

Osoro stared her directly into her eyes, crumpling the flyer up and tossing it over her shoulder.

This was quickly going horribly wrong.

 

"At the very least, please consider it. We'd love to have you! We're accepting of all members!" Amai held up her cupcake carrier. "Please, take a cupcake!"

 

"I don't take handouts." Osoro growled.

 

"I insist. One taste might change your mind!"

 

"Huh? You hard of hearing? I said I don't take handouts."

 

"I see...thank you for hearing my pitch then." Amai sighed, clearly not getting through to them. She felt a bit upset, but there were other students to see, and more flyers to pass out. She couldn't let one small failure get in the way of the bigger picture. "Enjoy the rest of your day." She walked away, relieved to finally escape.

 

"Yo! Wait." The red streak girl called out. "Leave them."

 

"I'm sorry?"

 

"Did I fuckin' stutter? _Leave them_."

 

Confused, Amai slowly set down her cupcake carrier on the ground.

 

"Now--"

 

"Beat it!" Osoro shouted. Amai suddenly began to run away, back towards the safety of the school walls.

 

"Hell yeah...free food." One of the boys walked over to the carrier, picking it up. 

 

"Tri. Crack it open." Osoro ordered.

 

"Don't gotta ask me twice." The delinquents crowded around him as he opened the carrier, the sweet smell of vanilla frosting wafting through the air almost immediately. Before anyone could stick their hands in it, Osoro grabbed a cupcake, inspecting it for a moment then biting into it. Her expression softened once she began chewing.

 

"So? How are they? They taste shitty or what?"

 

Osoro took her time eating, then finally swallowed. She looked at the remnants of her cupcake and raised an eyebrow. 

 

"Go ahead. Eat 'em."

 

Without another word, the delinquents ravaged the rest of Amai's cupcakes.

 

Osoro had to admit, they tasted pretty good. Perhaps that girl would be useful after all.

 


	2. Cookies and Carriers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: i had this chapter done for like a week and yet i forgot to post it orz

"And...done!" Amai let out a sigh of relief as she tied the last ribbon on the final goody bag she had made. She set it down in a picnic basket with the others and carefully closed the lid. The key to being a club leader was making a good first impression, and if it took a little incentive to join the club, then a bag full of free treats would certainly do the trick. An assortment of cookies were in every mint green bag, and a striped ribbon held its contents tightly together. Amai couldn't decide how many to make, but she settled on an even thirty. If less people came, then she could give people more than one. If more people came, she would just have to make more the next day. Either way, as long as her club members were happy, Amai was happy.

Amai picked up her basket with one hand and her bag with the other. She peeked inside the basket one last time to make sure everything was in order. She smiled, closing the lid and beginning her walk towards the school.

Once the final bell of the day rang, Amai immediately made her way to the club room. Even if it was just an informational meeting, a bit of setup was in order. She opened up a cabinet, pulling her basket out. She then brought the basket over to the table, cracking it open and setting it on the middle of the table and taking a few goody bags out and arranging them in a circle around it.

"Drinks..." Amai mumbled to herself. She hadn't restocked the refrigerator since the club hadn't officially began. She made a mental note to at least bring some juice for the next meeting as an apology of sorts. "Well, it's alright. Maybe I'll make some tea to go with--"

"Whoa, something smells good in here!"  
Saki peeked her head through the door, snapping Amai out of her thoughts. She looked around the room briefly before walking in.

“Saki! You're rejoining this year?”

“Yep! I couldn't leave you hanging this year.” Saki grinned, taking a seat at the table. “I'm practically the vice president.”

“Is Kokona joining too?”

“She should be!” Saki drummed her fingers on the table. “She was behind me a second ago….”

Right on cue, Kokona came running in, slightly out of breath. She leaned against the door frame and pointed at Saki. “Y...you…!”

“Oh, there she is!”

“I can't believe you ran out without me!”

“Whoops?” Saki stuck her tongue out playfully. Kokona huffed and took a seat across from her.

“You're the worst, you know that?”

“Ooh, are these for us?” Saki poked one of the bags, staring at the cookies in anticipation.

“After the meeting, mind you.” Amai reached over her and began fixing the ribbon. “Then they're all yours.”

A few more students wandered in, some taking a seat at the table and other standing around the perimeter of the room. Amai couldn't help but smile as people began to file into the room. Familiar faces and a few new faces were all gather together, and she couldn't be happier. Amai clapped her hands to gain everyone's attention.

  
"Pardon me! May I have your attention please?"

The room fell silent.

"First, I would like to thank you all for taking the time to show your interest in the cooking club. I'm honored that you stopped by today. This meeting won't last very long, I promise! I just want to get a headcount of our potential members and set some ground rules and a schedule. Is that alright?"

Amai looked around the room again, making sure everyone was on the same page. "Wonderful! Originally, the club met every Monday from 3:30 to 5:00, and thankfully, I was able to secure the same time slot for this year. I believe that's...the gist of everything I had to say. Any questions?"

Kokona raised a hand. "Are we doing the cultural fair this year?"

"Ah! Good question! I'll have to ask the faculty if we can use the plaza this year. If we secure the space, we should be able to have it."

"What about allergies?" Saki raised her hand. "I mean, for the newcomers."

"If you have any food allergies, please come see me after we adjourn, or feel free to pass me a note at any time. The sooner, the better.

"Oh!" Saki's hand shot up again. "Will we be making--"

"Yes, Saki, we're making sponge cake this year too."

"Yes!" Saki cheered. "No more questions."

"Now, onto a few rules," Amai cleared her throat. "As of now, there are only three that are of the utmost importance. Number One! No horseplaying in the kitchen. There are several dangerous tools back there, and if anyone got hurt, that would be the end of our time together.

Number Two! If you made a mess, clean it! If we leaves things in disarray, I could get this space taken away, and there would be no cooking club.

Number Three! This is a safe space to come together and enjoy a snack or two among good company. So be kind to one another! I want this club to be in a relaxed environment, but I hear about any troublemakers, I'm afraid I'll have to take executive action."

"Like _you're_ gonna do shit."

A few heads turned to see one of the delinquents at the doorway, leaning against the wall and staring directly at Amai.

"Girls like you are too damn soft."

"Who let her in here?" Kokona whispered. Nobody had an answer. Nobody wanted to answer.

"Oh, it's you!" Amai smiled sweetly. "I thought you weren't going to take my offer. I don't believe I got your name?"

"You want me to get Kuroko or somebody to get her out of here?" Saki looked up at Amai.

"No need. I extended a warm welcome towards her and the rest of her associates to join our club! Though, I swore you weren't attending? Perhaps I misheard you?"

"You getting smart with me? I'll wipe the smirk off your face!" Everyone seemed to shift uncomfortably as the delinquent spoke.

The air suddenly grew heavier.

Amai picked up one of the bags off of the table and walked towards the delinquent, holding it out. "Thank you for attending. Everyone gets a complimentary bag of cookies for sticking around long enough."

"You can take those cookies and shove 'em up your ass." The delinquent snarled, backing away from the door and kicking something into the room. "Boss said give this piece of garbage back to you."

"Oh! You're returning my carrier! How sweet!" Amai bent down and picked it up. It had a lot more scratches on it that when she had left it, but she appreciated the gesture all the same. "Tell Osoro I said thank you and in the meantime," She took the delinquents hand, squeezing the back into it. "This is for you."

"...We don't take--"

"It's not a handout. Everyone gets one."

Without another word, they stormed off, nearly crushing the cookies in their hand.  
  
Amai watched as they left, letting out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. Well, at these they were kind enough not to steal or throw away her things.

"Sorry for the interruption!" Amai returned to her usual cheery persona. turning back to her group. "Please, help yourselves to some cookies. Everyone gets to have a bag, so there's no need to hurry! Now, moving on to potential focus areas for our club this year..."

* * *

 

"Y'know. She ain't half bad at this whole cooking thing."

"There's a shit ton of sugar on these ones."

"Looks like a donut hole to me."

Osoro watched as her companions passed around the bag, each of them taking a cookie and inspecting it before taking a bite out of them. She leaned against a wall, an amused smile settling in on her face.

"Yo, Boss! You want one of these?"

"Nah, I ain't much for sweets. Take 'em."

"Suit yourself!"

"What'd she say?" Osoro turned to face her group. "When you gave that thing back."

"God, she was annoying. Said thanks though. In a lowkey bitchy sort of way."

"Mm." Osoro nodded. "Nice."

"You know, if we cut to the chase, we could have her under your thumb in no time."

"You think I don't know what I'm doing?" Osoro's suddenly snapped, her gaze growing cold. "It's me handling your shit. Not the other way 'round. Got it?"

"Got it! Loud and clear. Jesus..."

"Keep the attitude up and it'll be my foot and your ass." Osoro snarled.

"Ah, fuck! She's back."

Everyone turned to see nobody other than Amai, cautiously making her way towards them. She stopped in front of them, clutching onto her basket with a tight grip.

"You. What do you want?" Osoro barked.

Amai said nothing. She set down the basket then held her hands up. She backed away from the basket slowly.

"The _fuck?_ "

Amai gestured towards the basket, still backing away.

Osoro raised an eyebrow, hesitantly stepping forward and picking up the basket. She peeked inside of it, taken aback by what was inside. There were a few leftover goody bags, all still wrapped up and full of cookies. Along the walls of the basket was a sticky note. Osoro plucked off the note and read the neatly printed words.

_Had a few extra treats. Please help yourself._

_~ Amai O._

_P.S. Thank you for returning my carrier. ❤︎_

Osoro raised an eyebrow. The smiley face drawing inside of the O certainly didn't make her already apparent confusion any better. But before she could ask one question, when she looked up, Amai was already gone.


	3. Dealing with a Devil

It was generally known that once the delinquents took a target of interest, that person would eventually either end up transferring schools or disappearing altogether. Occasionally they would stay the entire year, but they never were the same person afterwards. It was a bad omen to walk near them, let alone dare associate with them.

There were some people who treaded on thin ice, and Amai, unfortunately, was one of them.

She couldn't put her finger on it, but her days at school seemed a bit off. She felt as if something, or somebody, was watching her at all times. When she walked through the halls, while she was sitting in class-- she could feel a rather strange presence around her, and she wasn't fond of it in the slightest.

Amai kept her gaze down on her notes as the teacher droned on. She began doodling in the margins, drawing all sorts of patterns to keep her mind off of the looming presence near her. She shifted in her seat and took a quick glance around the room. She couldn't _see_ anyone, but she just knew someone was there. It was starting to become a bit of a nuisance.

_It's alright. It's almost time for lunch. You can make it._

Amai kept drawing.

_It's alright. Just relax..._

Her pen began to tremble a bit.

_Just...just..._

"Teacher!" Amai suddenly shouted, dropping her pen on her notebook and raising her hand. "May I use the restroom?"

"I...suppose you can?"

"Thank you!" Amai rose to her feet, quickly shuffling out of the room and into the hallways. Closing the door behind her, she looked around for any signs of any unwanted stalkers.

Not a soul was to be found.

"I must be sick..." Amai laughed dryly, placing a hand on her chest and trying to calm herself down. "Maybe even stressed." She made her way to the bathroom, desperately trying to talk herself into believing that she was simply paranoid. Suddenly, she paused for a moment.

She could have sworn she heard...footsteps? No, it couldn't be. Everyone was in their class for the day. Perhaps it was another teacher, or maybe even the nurse. Maybe it was another student running an errand or refilling their water bottle. Amai shook her head, continuing her walk.

_It's nothing. I'm imagining things._

Something about the intensity of the footsteps was horribly threatening.

Amai looked behind her. Nobody. Now this was beginning to become ridiculous. Amai slowed down, beginning to take a detour towards the 3rd floor. If anything, it would give her more time and a better chance of escaping whatever was near her. She made her way up the stairs and towards the bathroom. The footsteps behind grew quieter, and she began to relax. She walked over to the sinks, sighing as she stared at her reflection.

"You're imagining things, Amai." She gripped the sides of the sink and sighed, leaning closer to the mirror to talk to herself. "Just...relax."

She took a few deep breaths, the sound of her own breathing resounding off of the walls. There was a strange tranquility about it, but Amai could feel her piling fears and anxieties beginning to disappear. After a few moments of peace and quiet, she finally backed away from the mirror, giving herself an encouraging smile before exiting the bathroom.

"Who 'ya talkin' to?"

Amai yelped, stumbling backward as a hand suddenly slammed against the wall behind her. Before she could fully process what was happening, she found herself peering up at Osoro. Amai could feel Osoro's eyes piercing right through her, and all she could do was stare back at her, gaze unflinching.

"...Osoro."

"Look at that. Little Miss Goody-Two-Shoes remembers me. How _cute_." Osoro smirked.

"If you needed to talk, we could have arranged a proper meeting." Amai couldn't help but stare at the bandages tightly wrapped around Osoro's arms. They provided a distraction to focus on, but something about it was concerning.

"Yeah? You too good to see me on the fly now?"

"I was under the assumption that we had no reason to speak."

"Don't they teach 'ya about making assumptions?" Osoro leaned in closer. Amai kept staring back, determined to remain brave. "You make it hard for me, y'know? Never alone long enough for me to snatch you up for a minute. And the people you associate really..." Osoro's voice suddenly dropped. " _Really_ piss me off."

"Did you send your friends to follow me?" Amai shifted in place. "Or were you doing it yourself?"

"You think I have time to follow you all day?" She sneered. "You must think you're hot shit, huh?"

"So you admit to having me followed then."

"Listen. I have something for you to do."

Amai nodded slowly, her attention finally beginning to focus directly on Osoro’s eyes.

“Lunch. See me." Osoro finally removed her hand, taking one last look at Amai before walking away. Amai blinked, utterly dumbfounded. All of that just for a command? She wasn't sure whether to get upset or not.

“Where?” She spoke up, beginning to follow her.

“Shouldn't you be in class?” Osoro scoffed, not even bothering to look over her shoulder.

Amai suddenly paled.

“Never took you for a ditcher. Just as bad as me, ain't ‘ya?” Osoro paused to look behind her, only to see Amai frantically running back to class. Osoro couldn't help but crack a smile.

“You're making this too damn fun, Odayaka.”

* * *

 

Students flooded the hallways as the lunch bell rang throughout the halls. Everyone split off into their cliches and headed their separate ways to enjoy their meals. Amai took her time leaving her classroom, slowly gathering her belongings and dreading the meeting that was quickly approaching. As positive as she tried to be. she couldn't help but worry.

“Hey, Amai!” Amai startled as Koharu suddenly appeared behind her.

“O-oh! Hello…!”

“You eating with us today? Saki told me to save you a spot!”

“Um...yes! I'll be down in a bit. I have a few things to attend to first.”

Koharu frowned. “Anything I can help with? Club stuff?"

"Please don't worry! It'll be fine! I'll be there shortly, I promise!" Amai gave her a quick smile before hurrying out of her classroom and out of the school. She looked behind her to make sure Koharu hadn't followed her despite her wishes. She wished that Osoro had given her a proper time and place to meet, but reasoning with her was another battle entirely. With no other leads to follow, Amai had to settle for searching in the back of the school first.

'It _is_ where we first first met, after all'. Amai thought.

She took her time walking, keeping an eye out for any signs of Osoro. She could see the delinquents stationed in their circles. They all turned their heads to stare at her as she approached. Amai stood directly in front of them, holding her bag closer to her instinctively.

"The hell do you want?" One of the girls snarled.

"Osoro requested that I see her. "

"She ain't here. Leave."

"I'll leave...once my business with her is finished."

"What are you, stupid? Get lost!"

Amai sat down on the ground, sitting cross-legged and adjusting her skirt. "I can wait."

"Fuckin'-- " A boy spoke up this time. "Beat it before we break your neck!"

Amai began rummaging through her bag. She pulled out her lunch box, placing it in front of her, and reaching back in her bag for her plastic utensils.

"That's it. I'm not dealing with this shit." One of the delinquents cracked their knuckles, beginning to advance towards her. But as soon as she popped the top off of her lunch, they froze. Amai placed her box in her lap and her utensils on the lid.

"You want some?" Amai looked up. "It's just fried chicken and rice." She broke off a piece of chicken with her fork and scooped up some rice.

"....The hell?"

"If not, I have some other snacks." Amai dropped her fork back into her box and pulled a small plastic container out of her bag. "I baked these to test these recipes I found online and--"

"Oh shit, are those cookies?!" Another girl suddenly blurted out.

"Mmhm. You can have them if you want." Amai slid the container towards the delinquent in front of her, who's eyes were wavering between Amai and the treats she had presented to the group. They cautiously bent down, snatching the container up as if it would disappear right in their hands.

Amai couldn't help but smile. "Let me know how they taste! I want to try making them with the club next week." She returned to her meal, humming as she stirred her rice up.

"Why are you being so nice?" The girl with the purple streak spoke up, tearing herself away from her usual spot and taking a good look at the cookies in the container. "What's your angle?"

"I want to speak with Osoro."

  
"Odayaka." Amai could feel a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"Ms. Shidesu." She didn't even have to look up to recognize who it was.

"You cook all that?"

"If you mean my lunch, then yes." Amai turned her head to face her. "You're welcome to sample some of the cookies if you'd like."

"Damn, what so uptight for?" Osoro suddenly ruffled Amai's hair. "Loosen up! We're not gonna kill 'ya!"

Amai winced, moving away from her oddly forceful yet playful grip on her head. Amai wasn't sure whether to be afraid of her or find her attitude oddly endearing. Was this how she always acted? Amai cleared her throat, attempting to remain professional.

"You told me to see you."

"You're already doing what I was gonna ask."

Amai looked around, confused. "Huh?"

"You enjoying them cookies?" Osoro directed her attention at her group, who had already managed to open the container and start passing out cookies. A few gave her a thumbs up while others were too busy eating to pay attention to her. She looked back down at Amai, beginning to squat down to match her at eye level. "See that? That's what I need from you."

"I don't follow."

"Look. Odayaka--"

"Amai. Please."

"Odayaka," Osoro repeated, rolling her eyes. "What have you heard? About me, about us...tell me."

"Not much." Amai twirled her fork in thought. "Most of it was things like 'That Osoro girl could snap you in half for looking at her funny' or 'The kids who hang out in the back are no good'. Those sorts of things."

"Yeah? These 'no good kids' are something like family."

Amai frowned. She glanced over at the delinquents again.

"They respect me. Well, half fear, half respect." Osoro shrugged. "But half-assed assumptions like that are the reason I gotta look out for 'em. Nobody else would give a shit if they dropped dead tomorrow."

"That's not true! I'm sure their family wou--"

"What family?" Osoro laughed halfheartedly. "We're each other's family. Like I said, nobody else would care. But you? You're soft."

Amai wasn't quite sure how to take that.

"You care too much about other people. But that's what I need. You're the only one who'd probably bother hearing a couple of scumbags like us out."

"Why do you need me then? To raise awareness?"

"God, no! And get half of them charted off to some institute? We're people, not a goddamn charity case." Osoro slung an arm around Amai's shoulder. "I need you to do what you do best. Cook for 'em."

"That...that's it?"

"Meals are hard to come by. Plus they already like the little stuff you gave out last time you came around. " Osoro lowered her voice. "It's a lot. But you get it, yeah?"

Amai sighed. Osoro did have a point, and her story did tug at Amai's heartstrings a bit. She hated seeing people in pain, and she felt guilty for fearing Osoro in the first place. Perhaps she wasn't as bad as her reputation made her out to be. Now that Amai thought about it, not once did Osoro  _actually_ threaten her. If anything, she was cordial (if not a bit forward at times).

Without a second thought, she began to nod. "I'll do it."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. You can pick things up in the cooking club while classes are going on if you'd rather keep it a secret."

Osoro suddenly began to smile. She began covering it with the back of her hand, but it was still very apparent.

"But! On one condition." Amai interrupted her brief celebration. "You have to help me."

"I can't cook for shit!"

"I'll teach you! It'll make the process much easier!"

Osoro frowned. "Tch...Fine. Fine!"

"Well then, pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Shidesu." Amai held out her hand for a handshake.

"Shove it, Odayaka. I'm doing this for them." Osoro ignored her as she reached over Amai, stealing a piece of chicken and popping it in her mouth. "....Damn, these are killer."

"Hey! I didn't say I'd start today!"

"Don't be stingy. Donate to your local 'no good kid'." Osoro smirked, grabbing another piece before standing up and walking off.

"Give it back!" Amai huffed, rising to her feet.

"What are you gonna do? Stir me to death?" Osoro held it above her head. Amai stood on her tiptoes, desperately trying to get her food back.

"Osoro! That's not nice!"

It was generally known that once the delinquents took a target of interest, that person would eventually either end up transferring schools or disappearing altogether. Occasionally they would stay the entire year, but they never were the same person afterwards. It was a bad omen to walk near them, let alone dare associate with them.

And yet, Amai found herself to be one of the lucky few who managed to be on their side for a change.


	4. Trial Run

_Come to the cooking club around 7:15 and we'll get started, okay?_

Osoro had replayed those instructions in her head about a hundred times since she woke up that morning. They had been drilled into her head, and she wasn't going to forget about it any time soon.

 _'I'll come whenever the hell I feel like it.'_ She thought to herself as she began getting dressed for the school day.   _'She can't tell me what to do.'_

Osoro pulled her jacket over her shoulders, brushing any lingering dirt or lint off of it before beginning her trek towards the school.

 

_'Honestly, who the hell does she think she is? Giving **me** orders...' _

And yet, as annoyed as she was, Osoro somehow managed to get there early.

She looked around the campus, taking in the silence. It was rare to find the school grounds quiet, but Osoro appreciated it all the same.

The building was still open, much to her relief. She took her time walking in, looking up at all of the colorful posters that hung on the halls. Many of them were...gaudy, to say the least. Osoro fought the urge to outright laugh at them or rip them off the wall. She kept walking, speeding up and keeping her gaze down. Truth be told, she didn't have the /slightest/ idea where she was going. She never bothered to remember which club rooms were on which floor.

 

_'She could've at least given me some goddamn directions.'_

 

She stopped in front of a room, raising an eyebrow at the 'Occult Club' sign that hung over it. She cracked the door open and peeked inside. It looked just how she expected too: dark, creepy, and full of way too many weird sigils and signs. But to her surprise, there was already another girl in the room. She didn't have the club leader band on, and she was standing in front of the decorative skull, deep in thought. Osoro stayed silent, despite her instinct to scare the girl off.

Osoro's brow furrowed. What the hell was she doing?

The girl took the knife that was sticking out of the skull and slipped it into her pocket.

Osoro backed away, keeping a mental note of the girl's appearance just in case she found herself on the other end of the knife, and continued her trek through the hallway to find the cooking club. Thankfully, the cooking club was just down the hall. Osoro stepped inside, physically recoiling at the bright decor.

 

"...Never took pink as her color."

She looked around the room for a place to sit, ignoring the obvious dining table surrounded by chairs and taking a seat on one of the kitchen counters. She couldn't quite remember the last time she had been in a kitchen as big as this one. Or as clean, for that matter. She briefly hopped off the counter and began rummaging through the fridge in hopes of any leftover treats or ingredients that may have been overlooked. All that she could find in there was a carton of eggs, a few oranges, some pre-cut pineapples, and a bag full of grapes. Osoro opted for the oranges, taking two of them, and sitting back on the counter and kicking the refrigerator door shut.

Osoro enjoyed the silence for a little while longer as she peeled her oranges, throwing the peels into the trashcan across the room and smiling a bit in satisfaction whenever she made a successful throw.

No more than ten minutes later, the door to the clubroom swung open, and in came Amai with several plastic bags in hand. She let out a sigh of relief as she dropped her bags onto the table.

 

"Odayaka! You're late!" Osoro barked, throwing another peel.

 

"I got--" She looked over at the trashcan and began to frown. "Wait. Are those my oranges?"

 

"They were."

 

"Osoro!"

 

"Don't they tell 'ya breakfast is important or something dumb like that?"

 

"Still!" Amai huffed. "Rule number one of our collaboration! No stealing!"

 

"What the hell were you gonna use them for?"

 

"Garnish!"

 

"Waste of a good fruit if 'ya ask me." Osoro shrugged, biting into another piece.

 

Amai scowled briefly, then took a few deep breaths to regain her composure.

 

"...Alright. Note to self, leave snacks in case _somebody_ decides to drop by."

 

"For the record, I'm more of a "spicy and savory" person. Just sayin'."

 

"We have about an hour and a half to get something done." Amai grabbed one of the bags and made her way over to Osoro. "The sooner we start, the faster we can be finished! Here."

 

"...What is it?"

 

"An apron!"

 

"The _fuck_?"

 

Amai pulled out a black and white polka dotted apron and held it up for Osoro to see. Amai beamed proudly as she offered it to her. "I think it's cute! It suits you!"

 

"I am NOT putting that on!" Osoro hissed.

 

"It's to keep your uniform clean!"

 

"Get that thing outta my face!"

 

Amai pouted. "But...but you have to! It's proper cooking protocol! You're lucky I didn't bring a hairnet too!"

 

Osoro rolled her eyes and snatched the apron out of Amai's hand. She held it up, nearly gagging in disgust upon seeing the small ribbons outlining the front pockets. All of this just to help the troublemakers she kept under her wing at bay? She was starting to regret ever approaching Amai.

 

"Just...close the door! I don't want anybody seein' me in this thing!"

 

Amai chuckled, giving her a thumbs up before closing both entrances to the club room. She peered over at Osoro again, who was having a bit of difficulty trying to tie her apron. Amai rushed over, quickly grabbing the strings out of Osoro's hands and tying a neat bow in the back. Osoro blushed, half out of frustration and half out of embarrassment.

 

"There you go! Nice and tight!"

 

"I look stupid."

 

"You look nice!" Amai smiled. "We can pull your hair up too so--"

 

"Don't. you. dare."

 

"Ah...one step at a time!" Amai backed away, returning to the table and pulling her own apron out. "See? We're matching!"

 

Osoro paled. She was beginning to regret this.

 

"I bought a few boxes too." Amai began pulling out an array of colorful plastic lunch boxes, along with a few colorful silicone cups, dividers, and sauce container. "We can write their names on them later!"

 

"So uh," Osoro glanced around the room, desperately hoping that nobody else would barge into the room. "What are we making?"

 

"Mini wraps and rice!" Amai cheered. "It's easy! You ever make rice before?"

 

".....Yes."

 

"Great! Grab a pot out of the cabinet and boil some water! I'll start working on the wraps." Amai finished pulling out lettuce, tomatoes, tortillas, toothpicks, and an array of lunch meat out of another bag. She moved over to the sink, quickly washed her hands, took the roll of paper towels next to the sink with her, then walked back to the table. She spread out ten paper towels on the table, then began placing a tortilla on each of them. Deep in focus, she began making the sandwiches, humming as she worked.

Osoro stared at her, mesmerized. She snapped herself out of her trance, and began following her instructions. She bent down and grabbed a pot, plopping it onto the counter. She filled the pot with water. She knew how to cook. Definitely. For sure.  She almost dropped the pot onto the stove top, splashing water everywhere.

"Is everything alright?" Amai looked up.

 

"It's rice! I can't possibly fuck it up." Osoro snapped. "Uh. Where's the rice?"

 

"Third drawer!"

 

Osoro pulled open the drawer and grabbed the bag of rice. Without a second thought, she tightened her grip on the bag and prepared to rip the bag apart.

 

"WAIT! Nonono!" Amai shrieked, running over to Osoro and grabbing her arm. "Not like that!"

 

Osoro raised an eyebrow.

 

"You'll spill it everywhere!" Amai took the bag of rice from her. "Did you turn the stove on?"

 

"I was gonna do that!" Osoro huffed, finally turning the stove on.

 

"Add salt when the water starts boiling. Then put half of the bag in." Amai put the bag down on the counter, gave Osoro a gentle pat on the shoulder, then returned to making the wraps.

 

Osoro stared into the water.

 

She definitely knew how this worked.

 

At the first sight of bubbles, Osoro dumped salt into the pot, then poured the rice in. "This is easy!"

 

"Oh, don't forget to rinse the rice!"

 

"Rinse the what?"

 

Amai looked up again. "You rinsed it first, right?"

 

Osoro glanced at the pot. "Uh..."

 

Amai was utterly speechless. Perhaps she should have just volunteered to finish everything herself.  "W-Well, that's okay! Hopefully they won't mind sticky rice! Just take care not to burn it."

 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever! I got it!"

* * *

 

Amai put the last toothpick in the last wrap and took a step back to admire her work. 10 lunches, 2 wraps each, all with a toothpick neatly holding the wrap together. She grabbed a few dividers and began separating the sandwiches from where the rice was going to go.

 

"Perfect." She whispered.

 

Though, she was a bit worried. Osoro was awfully quiet. Amai took a moment to break away from her handiwork, and check in on her.

 

"How's it coming?"

 

Osoro was heavily focused on the rice, her brow furrowed and a frown set deeply in her face.

 

"How long is this supposed to take?"

 

"You can't rush perfection, Osoro."

 

"Listen. The rice I eat comes in a bag and takes a minute. This shit is tedious."

 

"Let me see." Amai removed the lid from the pot, letting the steam roll out and into the air. She retrieved a wooden spoon from a nearby drawer,  stirring it a few times. "Mm...a little overcooked, but it's hardly noticeable. Well done!"

 

"Was that an insult?"

 

"Merely an observation, Ms. Shidesu." Amai gave her a devious smile as she took the pot with her over to the table, and began dumping rice into each box, flattening the clumps into flat rectangles to have it fit in the box.

 

"Not too shabby for a street kid!" Osoro smirked.

 

"I have another job for you."

 

"Jesus Christ--" Osoro put her head in her hands.

 

"Take the cups over here and fill them with grapes."

 

"That's it?"

 

"That's it! Just remember: red cup, yellow box, yellow cup, orange box, green cup, blue box, blue cup, purple box, and orange cup, red box. There's two of each color box so just repeat the pattern."

 

"Red...red cup, red box..."

 

"I think people are starting to come in now, so you may want to hurry."

 

Osoro blinked a few times, still trying to process the sudden onslaught of words that assaulted her. She hesitantly took the bag of grapes out of the fridge and filled them with grapes as instructed. At first, she tried her best to match the colored cups the right boxes, but after a while, she gave up and just threw in a cup of grapes into boxes that had none.

 

Amai sprinkled pepper onto the beds of rice, then clapped her hands together in celebration. "We're done! A simple meal for our first trial run!"

 

"They'd be better if I didn't fuck them up." Osoro mumbled.

 

"Oh, please. You did fine!" Amai gave her a reassuring smile. "Now all that's left is delivering them!" Amai carefully began placing the boxes bag into the plastic bags, holding her breath as if they would suddenly fall to pieces if she even dared breathe in their direction.

 

"Look, I ain't cut out for this cooking stuff." Osoro scratched the back of her neck. if making something as easy as rice turned out to be this tedious, she was almost afraid to see the work behind the pastries Amai made.

 

"Do I need to throw in lessons on top of providing lunch for..." Amai trailed off. She counted the boxes again. Ten exactly. "Oh...oh no! I forgot yours!"

 

"It's not that big of a deal." Osoro shrugged.

 

"You can take my lunch today!" Amai suddenly became frantic. "I don't want you to feel left out!"

 

"Wh-- No! I'm not taking your food!"

 

"I can just bring two from home net time! It's okay!"

 

"Odayaka, I'm not taking your lunch."

 

"But--"

 

"Listen!" Osoro suddenly shouted and grabbed her by the shoulders, causing Amai to flinch. Osoro cleared her throat, lowering her voice.

" _Listen_ ," She repeated. "It's okay."

 

Amai bit her lip, still fairly guilty.

 

"I think I'll survive off the oranges I swiped."

 

"W-we can share today." Amai slowly began to calm down. "I don't want you going hungry today because of me."

"Odayaka, I can handle myself." Osoro rolled her eyes. Her expression softened as she looked down at Amai, who looked as if she were about to cry out of frustration with herself. "...But if it's buggin' you that much, fine."

 

"Thank goodness." Amai let out a sigh of relief. "I won't forget next time, I promise."

 

"Just don't pop a vessel in the meantime."

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." Amai laughed halfheartedly. Whether it was concern or just her being nice, she didn't expect to have such a fervent reaction. She couldn't really remember what drove her to such lengths in the first place.

 

"Knockety, knockety, I'm comin' in~" A lazy drawl sung out before the doors slid open. A head peeked into the room. "Amai, you're here. Thank god. I wanna finish the check-in thing now so--"

 

"O-Oh! Shiromi! Welcome!" Amai nearly fell backwards in an attempt to create distance between her and Osoro. "How. um, nice of you to drop by!"

 

"Whoa. PDA alert." Shiromi smirked as she fully entered the room, clipboard in hand. She paused to get a good look at Osoro. "...Pfft."

 

"You got somethin' to say to me?!"

 

"Nice outfit." Shiromi snorted.

 

"Fuck off."

 

"Aaaanywhoo, Amai. Odayaka. Odayaka comma Amai. You? We have business." Shiromi turned to Osoro. "Could you like. Give us a minute? Now?"

 

"Tch." Osoro pulled off her apron, shoving it back towards Amai. "Later." She nodded at Amai once before taking the box filled lunch bags with her, disappearing around the corner.

 

"I apologize for the mess upon other things." Amai bowed, keeping her eyes away from Shiromi's.

 

"Shidesu, huh?" Shiromi clicked her tongue. "Interesting."

 

"W-What do you mean by that?"

 

"Never took you for a lesbian, that's for sure."

 

"HUH?!" Amai blushed, completely dumbfounded.

 

"Guess I owe Akane 10 bucks. What a shame." Shiromi shook her head. "Anyways, I gotta check in on the clubs today. Budget, discuss festival plans, approve the schedule, blah. blah, blah." Shiromi rolled her eyes. "Look, I gotta have my list done by three, and if I'm being honest, I really don't care what you do, as long as you don't burn the south wing down."

 

"Well, if you must know," Amai cleared her throat, still a bit shaken at Shiromi's rather blunt comments. "We still have plans to do the cafe for the festival, since it's fairly popular with the student body."

 

"Cafe...for...feeestival." Shiromi jotted down a few things. "And the budget. Budget? Wait." She began flipping through the sheets of paper on her clipboard. She pulled one out, frowning as she read it.

"I'm still entitled to free snacks when I come visit, yeah?"

 

"As far as I know, yes?"

 

"Then there's no point in me reading this." She stuck the budget sheet back onto her board. "Approved."

 

"Thank you?"

 

"Yeah, yeah." Shiromi wrote down a few more things before dropping her pen in her pocket. "Welp. You made that ten times easier for me. Thanks, Amai!" Shiromi flashed a smile before sauntering out of the room.

 

"You're welcome!" Amai waved, horribly confused.

 

"Oh, before I drop this off to Kuroko," Shiromi poked her head through the door again. "One more thing. Be careful around Shidesu, yeah?"

 

Amai crossed her arms, frowning a bit. "Careful how?"

 

"Look, I'm sure whatever charity work you're doing is very valuable and the big man upstairs is practically begging you to be a saint. But I've heard some pretty wild things about that chick."

 

"Wild...?"

 

"Amai, I like you. You're pretty cool and fun to mess around with. But seriously? She's not the type to get attached to. Just saying. I'm sure Aoi could--" Shiromi suddenly gasped dramatically. "Whoops~ Wouldn't wanna get her mad." A devilish smirk was beginning to play on her lips. "Never mind."

 

"She's not as dangerous as she would have you believe."

 

"Yeah? You think you're BFFs now? That's adorable!" Shiromi laughed. "Just be careful!" She pointed a finger gun at Amai and winked before turning on her heel and continuing on her way.

 

Amai watched Shiromi as she left. Then, without another word, she began cleaning up the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shiromi is kinda fun to write oh no
> 
> On a serious note, thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read and give this silly little thing some kudos! Osomai....is so good. (๑و•̀ω•́)و


	5. Mild Threat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy ides of march  
> perfect time to update a yansim fic

The aroma of freshly prepared tea wafted through the area.

Akane hummed as she set out 4 teacups on the table, preparing for the student meeting. The routine was quite simple: prepare the tea, tidy up a bit, and wait patiently until the others came. Although it was an easy routine, it gave her a moment of peace to reflect on her day. She took a seat, folding her hands in her lap as she waited for her tea to finish brewing.

“Another lovely day…”

The sound of staccato footsteps through the halls were the first thing that broke the silence. Akane frowned, turning her head towards the door. In came Kuroko, clipboard firmly in one hand and pen in the other. Akane’s expression quickly softened and she began to smile once more.

“Good afternoon, Kuroko!” Akane chimed.

“Akane.” Kuroko nodded in acknowledgement, setting her clipboard down on the table and immediately removed the laptop from the desk drawer, placing it on top of the desk and turning it on.

After a moment of silence. Akane attempted to make conversation. “How are things?”

“I cannot complain.” Kuroko’s brow furrowed as she began typing away.

“Oh, that's wonderful!”

More silence followed.

Akane looked around the room, clearing her throat. Her eyes darted from Kuroko to the electric kettle. As soon as the steam began rolling out of the kettle, she stood up and turned it off.

Before the atmosphere could get any more awkward, Shiromi sauntered into the room, followed by Aoi.

“Afternoon, ladies!” Akane began pouring the water into the tea cups.

“Mm, tea again?” Shiromi took her seat, yawning. “Thanks, mom.”

Aoi leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. “Can we hurry this up today? I got places to be afterwards.”

“Oh my,” Akane dropped the tea bags into the cups. “Whatever for?”

“Personal business.”

“Booty call.” Shiromi winked.  

“Say that again. I dare you.” Aoi glared.

“I'm contacting Megami as we speak." Kuroko began typing faster.

"It's pretty ironic that the daughter of the biggest corporation in the country still uses Skype." Shiromi smirked, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes. "Wake me up when we finally start, yeah?"

"It should be any moment now." Kuromi moved away from the computer, reaching over and opening a desk drawer, pulling out a small notepad. She quickly took her seat, straightening her outfit in an attempt to appear more professional before the president. Before Shiromi could make another quip, Megami appeared on screen, looking as refined as always.

"Good afternoon." Megami addressed the entire room. "Has role already been taken?"

"There's literally only four of us." Shiromi groaned.

"She means yes." Kuroko quickly spoke up.

Megami raised an eyebrow. "Then I would like to officially call this meeting to order."

Shiromi began clapping.

Megami cleared her throat, continuing to talk. "First thing on our agenda, club check-ins. Did everyone complete their list?"

"I have them all compiled here." Akane quickly stood up, retrieving a stack of papers from the desk. "Everything appears to be in order-- although, the science club has a few...questionable things about their budget."

"Questionable?"

"Mr. Kusha said something about, and I quote, 'A Gargantuan Turbo-Mega-Destructo Ray of Death' as well as what he's currently calling the 'Front Line Leviathan'?"

"Pay him no mind. It's not our job to fund his meaningless pipe dreams." Megami glared.

"Duly noted." Kuroko nodded, jotting down a few notes.

"The drama department would like a bit more funds in regards to their special effects budget, the light music club would like repairs for their equipment, and the art club needs new supplies." Akane continued.

"We'll have to review these details in full, but as it stands, that shouldn't be too difficult to follow through on." Megami nodded. "Now, in regards to the festival--"

"The same old boring things from most of the clubs are happening again." Shiromi chimed in. "Though, I'm looking forward to the cakewalk and the mini cafe the cooking club's doing this year."

"That's all?"

"Well, the gardening club is doing this weird parade float styled thing. Sounds pretty sweet on paper. Other than that, most people are sticking to tradition."

"I see...Aoi, have there been any disturbances on your part?"

Aoi said nothing.

Akane frowned a bit, turning to face her. "Aoi, sweetie? Do you have anything to report?"

"Surprisingly? Not a damn thing."

"Is that not a good thing?" Kuroko raised an eyebrow.

"You'd think so, but no." Aoi tore herself away from the wall, approaching the laptop. "I haven't gotten any trouble out of those scumbag delinquents, but they've been a hell of a lot more active."

"Active...how?" Megami sat up, becoming a bit more invested in the meeting at hand.

"Usually they stick around in the back, but they're roaming the halls now. It's screwing with everybody's heads." Aoi's hands clenched into fists. "People are terrified just because they're there. Not doing anything! I can't just tell 'em to get out-- they're not breaking any rules!"

"Settle down now." Akane picked up a tea cup, offering it to her. "We'll work this out! Just relax and--"

"This isn't the time for tea!" Aoi nearly slapped the cup out of her hand. "Something's up. And as long as whatever's going on is continuing, I can't do a damn thing about it!"

"Surely there must be a reason for their activity." Megami folded her hands together.

Shiromi coughed, nearly choking on her tea as she stifled a laugh.

"Is there something you'd like to share with the rest of us, Ms. Torayoshi?" Kuroko cleared her throat, beginning to glare.

"Nope. I'm good." Shiromi shook her head. "Thinking of a joke."

"You know something I don't?" Aoi began to approach her.

"Nah."

"It's not polite to withhold information from us, dear." Akane took a sip of tea.

"What are you gonna do, boot me out the council for laughing at a joke?" Shiromi rolled her eyes. She paused, looking up at the concerned faces of her fellow council members. She suddenly began to smile, chuckling as she set her cup down on the table. "But uh, I have a hunch."

"You have the floor." Kuroko acknowledged, scribbling away on her notepad.

"I don’t have the full story, but there’s a bit of a deal going on. The delinquents are following someone, yeah--"

"Shidesu." Aoi growled, crossing her arms and digging her nails into her jacket. "Of course she's still at it."

"Turns out she's somebody else's little puppy now. Odayaka's to be exact."

Megami brought a hand to her chin, consumed in thought. "I was under the impression they had nothing in common. No reason to talk, no reason to interact...."

"Like I said, it's just a hunch! Dunno how accurate my sources are." Shiromi shrugged. "But something tells me there's _something_ there. Blackmail, bribery-- my money's on somebody having a little schoolgirl crush."

"I see."

"Care to share your thoughts, Megami?" Kuroko adjusted her glasses.

"Shiromi, Aoi. I have instructions for you." Megami began to sit up straight once more. "For the time being, let this play out. This may benefit us in the long run. If anything changes, report back with any and all information you gather. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yeah, yeah! Gotcha." Shiromi waved her hand dismissively.

"Got it." Aoi nodded, releasing her grip on her jacket.

"Wonderful." A brief smile graced Megami's lips. "Now then, onto the next part of our agenda..."

* * *

 

"You ready for the next sample?"

"Explain to me what this does for you again?" Osoro shifted in her seat, blindfold tied tightly around her eyes.

Their partnership was proving to be successful. The delinquents were fed and staying out of trouble, meanwhile Amai's club was gaining more traffic. Although a few were skeptical about allowing such abrasive and aloof people into the club, they blended in surprisingly well. They kept to themselves, and were more than eager to taste test. All in all, it was turning out wonderfully for the both of them. Amai and Osoro had spent a few weeks together in the club room, before and after school hours, either preparing lunches or simply talking. Before they knew it, they were spending most of their time together during school.

"It's an activity I was considering for the club!" Amai hummed as she brought over another fork to the table. Along the table were small slices of pie, each a different flavor. "To take a break from cooking, I wanted to set up a fun game!"

"Yeah? I'm your test dummy for this?"

"Don't make it sound so viscous, Osoro! You seem like you're having fun!" Amai pouted.

"You'd have to be a damn fool to pass up on free dessert!" Osoro gave her a sly grin.

"Well then, this is pie number four!" Amai took the fork and scooped out a fairly large chunk of a piece of pie. "Say 'aaa'~"

"Odayaka, stop treating me like a--" As soon as the smell of pie hit her nose, Osoro immediately opened her mouth, inching forward until she bit the piece off of the fork. Her face twisted as she chewed, first in disgust and then in curiosity.

"What do you think?"

"It's...sour. But good sour? The hell?" Osoro licked her lips. "Gimme another try."

Amai chuckled, scooping a bit more pie onto the fork and feeding it to her. "What do you think it is?"

"Tastes like..." Osoro began snapping, trying to get her thoughts together. "Ah, shit! It's on the tip of my tongue!"

"Take your time." Amai returned to the kitchen after setting the fork down in front of her, smiling devilishly.

"Lemon! It's lemon!"

"My, my, you're quite good at this!"

Osoro undid her blindfold and grabbed the fork, beginning to eat the rest of her well deserved prize.

"Judging by your reaction, I'd say this was a success!" Amai walked back over to her taking a seat across from her. She sat patiently, hands folded in her lap as she waited for Osoro to finish eating.

"Mm--" Osoro swallowed and set the fork down on her plate. "Mmhm. Anyway, what were you sayin' earlier?"

Amai couldn't help but stare at the small dollop of cream dotted on Osoro's cheek.

"U-Um..." She tried to regain her focus. "This weekend! I thought maybe you and I could go grocery shopping?"

"Grocery shopping." Osoro repeated, completely deadpan.

"It would help me help you! We could get a few extra things for the lunches and..." Her eyes drifted towards Osoro's cheek again. "Some..other things."

"You okay?" Osoro raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, let me just--" Amai reached over the table, swiping the cream off of Osoro's cheek with her thumb. She could feel Osoro's face stiffen underneath her fingers as she went over the area again, gathering all of the cream onto her finger. "There we go! All better." Amai sat back down, finally at ease. Osoro, on the other hand, was absolutely mortified. She stared back at Amai, eyes wide and faint spots of pink spreading through her cheeks.

"Now, I was thinking we could meet up at my house." Amai continued, wiping the cream onto her apron. "That is, if you don't mind? I'm not quite sure where you live now that I think about it."

"Y-You--" Osoro coughed and brought a hand to her mouth, covering it. "The hell was that?!"

"I..I was just..." Amai blinked in surprise, realizing what she just did. "Oh...O-oh! I'm so sorry! I don't know what I was thinking! It was just there a-and--"

The two scrambled to move away from each other, both incredibly flustered. The room grew quiet and the atmosphere a bit too tense. Nobody dared to say anything. Amai stared down at her lap, twiddling her thumbs and trembling a bit. Osoro kept her eyes on Amai. Bringing her hand away from her face and allowing herself to calm down, Osoro spoke up.

"It's...cool."

"I'm so sorry." Amai shook her head. "I shouldn't have."

"I said it's cool! Don't sweat it."

Amai suddenly stood up, rushing towards the kitchen. "I have to clean up."

"You act like you're scared of me or somethin'." Osoro frowned. "What's with you?"

"Thank you for your help today!" Amai began collected the plastic forks they had used, throwing them away. "I think...that's enough for today! We'll work on a grocery list tomorrow."

Osoro stood up. She looked down at the leftover lemon meringue pie on her plate and began getting a few ideas. Without saying another word she picked up the plate, and slowly began walking over to Amai. While Amai continued to go on about their upcoming weekend excursion, Osoro stood behind her, swiping cream onto her fingers.

"Odayaka?"

"Yes?"

"Here." As soon as Amai turned around, Osoro smeared cream onto her cheek. Amai gasped, freezing in place while Osoro started laughing.

"You...!"

"Whoops." Osoro set the plate down on the counter. "Looks better on you though!"

"You're terrible!" Amai began laughing with her, reaching up to her cheek to wipe it clean.

"Yeah? Tell me somethin' I don't know." Osoro scooped a bit of cream from Amai's cheek and licked it off of her finger.

The door to the club room quietly slid open. A girl poked her head through the door, slowly taking in her surroundings, She hesitantly took a few steps forward. "Excuse me...?"

"I take back what I said. I'm not sorry at all!" Amai huffed, wiping her cheek and smearing it on Osoro's nose.

"I'm terrible? Odayaka, you're a monster!" Before Amai could go in for a second attack, Osoro grabbed her wrists and held onto them, holding her hands over her head. Amai struggled for a moment, cursing both her own height and Osoro's strength.

The girl stood in the dining area, staring at them.

"Would a monster feed you willingly? Hm, Ms. Shidesu?" Amai stuck her tongue out.

"...Damn, you have a point."

" _Excuse me._ " The girl spoke louder, catching both of their attention.

"What do _you_ want?" Osoro sneered, dropping Amai's hands.

Amai blushed, clearing her throat. "Is there something wrong?"

"You're Amai, correct?" The girl spoke with an oddly slow and robotic cadence.

"Yes! That's me. You are?" Amai smiled, rubbing away at any remnants of cream on her face.

"...Ayano." The girl squinted at her briefly. "I was told to come get you. I'm assuming the boy who sent me is your boyfriend--"

" _Boyfriend?_ " Osoro glared at the girl first, then down at Amai. "What boyfriend?"

"Oh. Are you two...?" Ayano pointed between the two of them.

"We're not! We're not." Amai blurted out. "As for the um, boyfriend, quite frankly, I don't know who you're talking about."

"Third year. Black hair. Taro, was it?"

"...Oh! Him! He seems like a nice boy, but 'boyfriend' is a bit much, don't you think?"

"He's looking for you. Told me to come find you."

"Tell him we're busy." Osoro crossed her arms. Ayano stared directly at her, not flinching and barely blinking. Osoro stared back, refusing to be unnerved by her behavior.

"Osoro, that's not very nice." Amai gently nudged her. "We're just finishing up, so I'll be right behind you."

"He said it was urgent." Ayano turned back around, preparing to exit the room. "But I'm sure it's fine."  Without another word and without looking back, she took her leave.

"...Somethin' isn't right about her." Osoro mumbled.

"You're overreacting." Amai shook her head, beginning to pack her belongings into her bag.

"I've seen her around. Stealing all sorts of weird shit from the school. I'm telling you, she's fucked in the head."

"She said it was urgent..." Amai slung her bag over her shoulder, a worried expression settling onto her face. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Odayaka, wait!" Amai suddenly ran out of the room.

"You can keep the pie too!" Amai shouted behind her, running down the hall and trying to relocate Ayano. There was no trace of her anywhere. The hallways were eerily quiet and there were no footsteps to be heard but her own.

"Ayano?" Amai called, peeking into classrooms as she went down the hall. She couldn't have gotten far. Not in that short span of time.

"Maybe he's waiting in the courtyard." Amai shrugged, making her way back down the hall. Before she could take one step, she felt herself being yanked backwards by her bag strap. A hand pressed over her mouth and squeezed. Amai screamed to no avail, desperately hoping it was Osoro joking around with her, or even Saki trying to scare her. She could fill a prick in her neck and her body going numb. She couldn't stand, raise her arms to fight her attacker, or even yell for help. Her eyes lidded several times as she struggled to stay awake.

Her knees buckled and she fell forward, nearly slamming her head into the ground as she fell. Sounds were starting to mix together, and her vision was going blurry. She felt something picking her up, and she could vaguely hear somebody yelling in the distance.

"So...ro..." Amai's head lolled to the side and she closed her eyes again. 'N...no..." She kept fighting to keep her eyes open. She couldn't tell if she was dying or dreaming. Either reality was terrifying, and she had no time to think.

The yelling was growing louder.

Amai closed her eyes again, finally going to sleep.


	6. A Girl Worth Fighting For

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you so so much to all of you who've read this! It makes me really happy that people are starting to enjoy this pairing!  
> Second, this particular fic has a few more chapters left, but when it's done, there might be something special afterwards...maaaaybe...

Osoro couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she knew something as horribly wrong.

The feeling in her stomach persisted after Amai had left the room. The eery silence ate away at her until she finally found the nerve to run out of the room and into the hallway.

"Odayaka?" Osoro began walking down the hallway, quickly glancing into every room for any trace of Amai. No footsteps, no voices-- it was if she had vanished into thin air.

"Odayaka!" Osoro began to walk faster, now extremely worried. "Dammit, you better have gone home by now!

The sound of a door opening quickly got her attention. Without a second thought, Osoro immediately began rushing towards the sound. As she reached the corner, she paused, grabbing onto the wall to prevent herself from running down the hall at full speed. She stared in horror at Amai, unconscious at the end of the hallway. All of the color in her face was gone, and she was still. Too still. Ayano emerged from the closet at the end of the hallway, taking Amai by the foot and pulling her back into the room.

"You son of a bitch--" Before Osoro knew it, she tore herself away from the wall and started storming down towards her. Ayano looked up at her, eyes widening as she dropped Amai's foot and backed away.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Ayano sneered, attempting to regain her composure.

"What the fuck did you do?" Osoro could feel her blood practically boiling. All she wanted to do to crush her, leave her broken and bruised in a pool of her own blood. All she could feel was anger and rage.

"I'm sorry, did you actually care? Ayano cooed, hints of a smile tugging at her lips. "So those rumors about the two were true! How adorable..."

"I asked you a question!" Osoro snarled, stepping over Amai and suddenly grabbing Ayano by the arm. "Answer me!"

"Get your hands off of me!" Ayano hissed, struggling to pull away from her.

"You really want to test me, little girl? Osoro began squeezing her arm, causing Ayano to wince and writhe around in her grip faster. "I've dealt with worse than you. You don't scare me in the slightest."

"I said...get off!" Ayano shrieked, tearing herself away from Osoro and clutching onto her arm, already dreading the bruises that were bound to emerge. "I don't owe you anything! She was in my way and I did what I had to do!"

"If you killed her...if you actually fuckin' KILLED her--" Osoro clenched her fists, trembling in anger. How easy it would be to destroy her...

"What, are you going to kill me too?" Ayano taunted. "You're all talk, aren't you? Such a big bad girl and yet here you are, doing absolutely nothing!

"I'll show you nothing!" Osoro growled, taking the first swing. Ayano lurched backwards, just barely missing the impact.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Ayano chuckled, suddenly pulling out a knife out of her skirt pocket.

"Stealing from those occult weirdos too? You're a real piece of shit, you know that?" Osoro glanced down at the knife, then back at Ayano. She wasn't afraid to get cut-- her scars were living proof of that fact. But she could hear Amai's voice in the back of her head, desperately pleading that she didn't put herself in danger.

"Damn...she's got me whipped." Osoro mumbled, beginning to crack her knuckles. Shrugging off her jacket, she draped it over Amai and returned her attention to Ayano. "Alright, Aishi! You wanna play with knives now? Stab me! It'll be the last goddamn thing you ever do!"

"Is that a threat or a promise?" Ayano smirked.

Without another word, Osoro lunged at her. Ayano immediately side stepped and tightened her grip on the knife, quickly jabbing at Osoro and successfully managing to stab her in the arm.

"You little bitch!" Osoro winced slightly, reaching for Ayano's hand. She quickly began to block with her forearms as Ayano went in for another stab. Slicing through her bandaged, Ayano kept slicing away at her arms. Ayano swung her hand down for another slice, only to have her wrist suddenly forced back behind her head.

"You want to join her that badly?!" Ayano struggled against her grip, pushing as hard as she could. Angling the knife at Osoro's head, she fought for control. All it would take was one good stab, one fatal blow and she would win. But it was unclear which was stronger, her urge to kill or Osoro's drive for revenge.

Osoro suddenly yanked Ayano towards her. Ayano stumbled forward, and before she could react, she could feel Osoro's other hand striking her in the stomach. Ayano cried out in pain, recoiling backwards and letting go of the knife.

"Where 'ya going?" Osoro stormed towards her, the odds now in her favor as she closed the distance between them. "You already got me once! Wanna try that shit again?" She twirled the knife in her hand.

"You...y-you...!" Ayano coughed, nearly doubling over.

"Let this be a lesson for you." Osoro grabbed Ayano by the neck. Ayano clutched onto Osoro's hand, desperately clawing at her skin. She yelped as Osoro forced her against the wall, banging the back of her head. "You're fucking with the wrong people. I don't give a damn about what you do to me, but if you even think about hurting her again?" Osoro raised the knife with her other hand, pointing the tip of the blade dangerously close to Ayano's eye and squeezing harder on her throat. "I'll kill you. That's a promise."

Ayano's eyes became glassy. She continued to scratch at Osoro's hands, gasping for air as she felt herself becoming weaker.

"Drop your weapon!" Aoi's voice suddenly rung out through the hallway.

Osoro turned her head towards the source of the noise. She squinted as Aoi, quickly followed by the rest of the student council bounded towards her.

"Fuckin' great..."

"Drop the knife now!" Aoi barked, reaching for her bottle of pepper spray in her pocket.

Osoro dropped the knife on the ground, kicking it towards Aoi.

"The student too! Please drop her!" Akane stood directly behind Aoi, peering over her shoulder.

Osoro took one final look at Ayano before dropping her on the ground. Ayano crumpled to the ground, coughing and wheezing. Akane rushed over to her, bending down to check on her.

"She's turning colors..."

"What on earth were you thinking?! Attacking another student-- with a lethal weapon no less-- is strictly against school code!" Kuroko's brow furrowed as she approached Osoro.

"She attacked me first! She was the one with the knife!" Osoro glared at Ayano.

"Don't give us excuses! We know your record, Shidesu!" Aoi crossed her arms, thoroughly unconvinced.

"She did something to Amai and--" Osoro's eyes widened. She turned around, rushing to Amai's side. "Fuck, I didn't even check to see if she was breathing!" She pulled her jacket off of her, cradling Amai in her arms. "Get the nurse! She could be dead for all we know!"

"Shiromi. Go alert Nurse Kina." Kuroko ordered.

"Gotcha, boss." Shiromi gave her a hearty salute before walking off towards the nurse's station.

"Akane, bring this young lady to the nurse."

"Yes, ma'am." Akane nodded, standing up and helping Ayano to her feet. "Come along, dear. We'll get you all better..."

"Aoi, bring Ms. Shidesu here down to Ms. Kunahito's office. She'll assign the appropriate punishment for what we've seen here."

"What you saw wasn't even the full story!" Osoro snapped.

"Get up! Maybe we'll finally get to expel you this time!" Aoi smirked.

"I ain't going anywhere until I know she's okay." Osoro carefully stood up, carrying Amai with her. She bent down again to pick her jacket off of the floor, and began to walk past Aoi and Kuroko. "We're going to the nurse."

"Avoid the counselor all you want! You're finally gonna get it, Shidesu."

Osoro paused, glancing over her shoulder. "Y'know what, Aoi? Kiss my ass."

 

"There we go! All cleaned up!" Muja smiled and gave Osoro a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Osoro rolled her shoulder a few times to get accustomed to the bandages now wrapped around her arm and shoulder. She winced a bit as as a sharp pain shot through her arm.

"Hurts like a motherfucker..."

"Be careful, okay? The wound is still fresh!" Muja gave Osoro's shoulder a few light taps to check for any rips in her bandages. "As for your arms...I've never seen so many cuts before. How old are those scars?"

"Lost count of how long I've had them." Osoro shrugged. "I'll be fine. I've dealt with worse, but..." She glanced over at Amai, who was now curled up on her side in one of the beds lined against the wall. "How is she?"

"She seems to be stable." Muja began cleaning up her work station. "Breathing just fine. She should wake up soon, but I called her parents to let them know."

"Gotcha." Osoro let out a sigh of relief. She began smiling a bit upon hearing that Amai was alright.

"Ms. Aishi, on the other hand--" Muja looked over at Ayano, who sat across the room from Osoro, staring down at her feet. Muja knocked over a bottle of peroxide while she was distracted, but quickly turned it upright before peroxide spilled all over the floor. "You did quite a number on her! Bruises on her stomach and her arms, a hand imprint on her neck-- what did you do to her?"

"That's exactly what _I_ intend to figure out." Genka's heels clicked as she sauntered into the room, laptop tucked underneath her arm.

"Great." Osoro slumped over, tensing up a bit as the pain reemerged.

"Hello to you too, Osoro." Genka deadpanned. "Nurse Kina, may I use your desk for a moment?"

"O-Oh! Of course!" Muja nodded, moving out of the way and taking a seat on one of the empty beds.

"Thank you." Genka took a seat at the desk and set her laptop on top of it. "Now, it has been brought to my attention that both you and Ms. Ayano Aishi here have gotten into a bit of an altercation...is that correct?"

"If by altercation, you mean this crazy bi--"

"Language, Osoro. Watch your mouth."

"Look, this chick attacked Amai! Then she started pointing knives at me! I acted in self defense!"

"She...tried to hit me first." Ayano spoke, her voice still extremely hoarse.

"Did she now?" Genka raised an eyebrow, opening her laptop and starting to type.

"Can you blame me?! I see a friend passed out in the hall. Adrenaline pumping, I'm mad as hell! She's lucky I didn't snap her neck!"

"We're not going to get anywhere if I don't get the entire story, ladies." Genka sighed, pushing up her glasses. "Osoro. What did you see before you made contact?"

"I saw her draggin' Odayaka into that storage room. She wasn't moving...I thought she was dead. I don't know what happened."

"She collapsed in the hall." Ayano folded her hands in her lap.

"You're a fuckin' liar!" Osoro suddenly stood up, but quickly sat back down after her arm began to throb.

"Again, language, Ms. Shidesu!" Genka snapped. "Ms. Aishi, what happened next?"

"It..happened so fast." Ayano put a hand to her neck, gingerly touching her own skin. "She suddenly grabbed me by the wrist. I...I thought she might break it. Next thing I knew she's barking insults and swearing at me and--" Ayano coughed. "I...I suppose she wanted to kill me. She certainly would have if it weren't for the student council."

"She pulled a knife on me!" Osoro swore that in that instance, she could have punched Ayano right in the throat. She almost wished she finished the job. "She stole that outta of a club room and literally stabbed me in the arm!" Osoro angrily gestured at her bloodied sleeve.

"She threw the first punch and I was in fear for my life."

"Oh, boo hoo! You're still alive!"

Genka typed furiously, still following the story.

"If I may?" Ayano cleared her throat. "Osoro took the knife from me. She could have ended the fight there, but she chose to pursue."

"W-Well! Yeah, but like I said, I thought Amai was dead. I was angry!"

"You care an awful lot about someone you're just using don't you." Ayano smirked.

"You wanna go again?"

"I've heard quite enough!" Genka interrupted. "Based on what I've heard and the injuries presented here...Ms. Aishi, I'm afraid you'll have to be expelled for your actions today."

Ayano began to tremble. "Expelled...?"

"You are well aware of our policy on weapons. Under _no_ circumstances should you have even thought about using that knife against another student."

"N-no...wait..." Ayano stood up. "Please! You can't! I need to tell--"

"I'm sorry, but you should have thought of that beforehand." Genka gave her a bitter smile.

Ayano slowly sat back down, stunned.

"Ha! Sucks to be you, don't it, bitch?" Osoro cackled.

"As for you." Genka directed her attention to Osoro. "You are fully aware that this isn't your first offense, correct?"

Osoro stopped laughing. "Your point?"

"Based on the severity of the injuries you've inflicted on Ms. Aishi, we'll have to suspend you."

"What the fuck-- she fuckin' stabbed me!"

"One more use of that vulgar language of yours, and I'll extend your suspension!"

Osoro fell silent. "...Whatever."

"Don't let this happen again, Osoro. I'd hate to see you kicked out for good." Genka stood up, picking up her laptop.

"You don't mean that."

"Now then, if you'll excuse me, I have quite a bit of paperwork to file." Genka pursed her lips. "Thank you so much for that." And with that, she walked out of the room. Her heels clicking against the floors grew more and more distant until they disappeared altogether.

"Expelled...? This can't be right. I'll never see him again..."

Osoro ignored Ayano's muttering and stood up, walking over to Amai. She sat down on the bed across from her and reached out to tuck a few strands of Amai's hair behind her ear. Even in slumber, Amai looked as gentle as ever.

"Looks like you don't have to worry about me anymore, Odayaka." Osoro smirked, brushing a thumb against her cheek. "Take care of the others though, yeah? They seem to like you."

"My, you must really be close, hm?" Muja chuckled.

"You could say that, yeah." Osoro sighed. "Got me suspended... damn, Odayaka, you really are somethin' else, huh?"

Amai stirred a bit. Osoro drew back a bit before carefully placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Ah, well. As long as she's still kickin." She looked up at the clock sitting above the doorway and frowned. "I should...leave before it gets too dark to see the roads."

"Do you need anything else? Bandages to take home, maybe?" Muja stood up.

"I should be good." Osoro stood up as well. She took one final look at Amai and took off her jacket, draping it over her again. "Take care of yourself while I'm gone, Odayaka." She waved at Muja and began walking out of the room.

"Tell her to keep the jacket."


	7. Promises, Promises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some odd reason, this chapter never showed up? The summary kept saying there were 6 chapters and the seventh just...would not show up. So sorry for the repost! But rest assured, I'm still working on chapter 8. (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)

The last thing Amai could remember was falling.

There was an odd sense of tranquility in her mind. She couldn't feel anything.  There was darkness all around her.

There was nothing.

She felt at peace.

The noises in the background began to mix together, creating a cacophony of noise until everything eventually went quiet.

'Am I....dead?'

"--ai..."

She could hear voices in the back of her head. She looked around, but not a soul was to be seen.

"Am--!"

She blinked a few times.

"Amai!"

She opened her eyes.

"Whoa, are you okay?" When her eyes finally focused, Amai could see Saki right in front of her, waving her hand in front of Amai's face. "You keep spacing out!"

"...Huh?" Amai blinked again, looking around the room she was in. The bright pink checkerboard floors of the cooking club were a comforting sight to behold. Everything was in its proper place, the chairs were neatly lined up-- everything seemed to be in order. She looked at Saki again, her voice a bit shaky. "I-I'm sorry...what were we talking about again?"

"Prep work! You know, for today's meeting?"

"Meeting?" Amai grabbed onto the counter-top, running her fingers along the surface. It  _ felt  _ real enough.  "Maybe it was...all a dream then?" She mumbled to herself. 

"Anyway, I was thinking that we should make pies today! Have a blind taste test, make it a contest-- what do you think?" Saki turned to the fridge, opening it and pulling out a variety of ingredients. "That's a fun activity, yeah?"

"That sounds lovely." Amai nodded, attempting to smile. Her face felt awfully numb and she felt as if everything were moving extremely slowly. She brought a hand to her cheek, recoiling from the cold feeling of her own skin. Her thoughts were swimming in her head, swirling around until she couldn't think straight anymore.

"Awesome! We can make apple pie, blackberry pie, buttermilk pie, lemon meringue--"

"Lemon meringue?" Amai repeated, her eyes suddenly widening.

"Do you...not like lemon? We don't have to make it." Saki looked up, beginning to frown.

"Saki, what...what time is it?"

"It's, uh--" Saki reached into her pocket, quickly pulling out her phone. "3:48. Why?"

"She's supposed to be here any minute!" Amai, in a sudden burst of energy, walked over to Saki, quickly pulling out ingredients and lining them up on the counter. "I have to hurry!"

"Who's supposed to be here? Kokona?" Saki raised an eyebrow. "She told me she's supposed to be meeting some guy out back before the meeting."

"No, no! Osoro and I were planning to--"

" _ Who? _ "

Amai paused. "Osoro. Osoro Shidesu? Tall, blonde hair, deep brown eyes, a bit muscular?"

"I don't think there's anybody here like that..."

"She leads the delinquents! The students who stay near the incinerator?"

"Amai, are you feeling okay? You seem a bit off." Saki put a hand on Amai's shoulder.

"What are you talking about? I'm fine! I'm starting to wonder if you're okay." Amai gently removed her hand. "We've been working together for a while now. She comes in before school to make lunch and she comes in after school to help me with the club and to keep me company and..." Amai trailed off. Saki's bewildered expression was truly starting to worry her. Amai's expression faltered.

"Saki? Where...where am I?"

"Maybe we should cancel the meeting." Saki took Amai by the hand, beginning to escort her out of the room. "I think we should get you to the nurse. You don't seem like your usual self."

"I'm fine!" Amai tried to tear away from her, but it was if something was trapping her in Saki's grip. "I'll be fine! I just need to find her."

"What you need is some rest." Saki opened the door and pulled Amai out and into the hallway. "It'll be fine! I'll text everyone that you were sick!"

"Saki, I said I'm fine!" Amai finally tore away from Saki and made a mad dash towards the exit.

"Amai! What are you doing?!" Saki ran after her.

Amai threw open the exit door, running towards the incinerator. "She has to be out here! She just has to!"

Saki's voice became more and more distant until she couldn't hear it anymore. As Amai rounded the corner, the familiar sight of smoke billowing out from the incinerator's chimney gave her a bit of relief. She skidded to a halt in front of the incinerator, scanning the area for any signs of Osoro, or even the other delinquents.

"Osoro?" Amai called,  pacing the area. Her nerves were becoming more and more tense as time went on. She began circling the back of the school, calling Osoro's name and desperately hoping for a response of any sort.

Not a single answer was to be heard.

"I don't understand..." Amai's hands clenched into fists. She wasn't quite sure as to  _ what  _ she was feeling. She couldn’t even begin to describe her emotions. Everything inside of her was boiling over, but at the same time, she felt empty. She could only stare up at the smoke as it rose.

“I must be losing it then…”

Amai felt something slowly wrap around her waist and pull her backwards. She yelped as she began to feel something squeeze her. Something told her to struggle, to fight back and start running. But her body wouldn’t move an inch. She seemed to be oddly comfortable in this embrace.

“Do me a favor.” She suddenly felt at ease at the sound of a familiar voice.

“Osoro!” Amai tried to turn around to face her, but Osoro’s grip seemed to keep her in place.

“You listening?”

“I-I’m listening.” Amai nodded.

“You don’t belong here, Odayaka.”

“I don’t...Osoro, what  _ is  _ this?”

“I need you to wake up, yeah?” Osoro spoke softly, leaning forward and pressing her forehead against the back of Amai’s head. “Do that for me.”

“Osoro--”

“Listen to me. Wake up.”

Amai blinked several times.

“Don’t go all soft on me.” Osoro hugged her tighter. “This ain’t the time for you to get your head stuck in the goddamn clouds. Wake up already!”

“I-I...I’m trying, but--”

“Damn it, Amai,  _ wake up!  _ ”

 

Amai's eyes suddenly snapped open. She gasped for air as she lurched forward, throwing her blankets off of her. Her eyes darted around nervously and she could feel herself shaking. She looked down at her mint green blankets now laying on the floor and began to steady her breathing. Wiping the sweat from her brow, Amai slowly laid back down in bed, staring up at her ceiling in an attempt to calm herself down.

She could hear her parents in the kitchen, making quiet conversation as they ate. Amai couldn’t bring herself to stand up and join them. Her body was heavy, and her head felt as if it would fall off if she moved too fast. She sat in silence, closing her eyes again.

_ It’s just a dream… _

Amai curled up, settling back into slumber.

Tomorrow was a new day, and it was back to work as usual.

Amai sat in the cooking club, sitting patiently until Osoro arrived. She watched the door intently, eagerly awaiting for the door to open. She looked forward to cooking every morning, but she couldn’t help but want to see Osoro-- especially after her dream. But as time went on, she became more and more antsy. She could hear the other students beginning to fill the halls, but no sign of Osoro.

Amai began drumming her fingers on the countertops.

“Maybe she’s running late? Or...sick?” Amai frowned. She hesitantly rose from her seat and cracked the door open, peeking into the halls.

How odd.

Amai sighed, returning the kitchen. “I guess I’ll do it by myself then…”

There was something empty about cooking alone. It was an easy task, but Amai felt as if something was missing. Her boxed lunches looked a bit more plain than usual, even with the colorful decorations and garnishes. She was used to having to work around the tiny mistakes Osoro made, such as toasting bread for far too long or adding too much pepper to a dish. If anything, everything seemed a bit too perfect. As Amai began stacking her lunchboxes, she began to wonder if her dream was more of a bad omen than a nightmare.

She crammed as many boxes as she could into her bag and carried the rest herself. Ignoring the curious stares of her peers, Amai quickly made her way to the back of the school. She held her breath as she carried the boxes, terrified of even the  _ thought  _ of dropping them. As she rounded the corner, she could see the delinquents turn to face her, their faces lighting up almost immediately.

“Finally! Damn, here we were thinkin’ she ditched us!”

“I’m sorry I’m late!” Amai apologized. Before she could set the boxes down, a few delinquents ran up to her, taking the boxes out of her hands. “Really, I’m so, so sorry.”

“You good? You seem tired as hell, boss.” The girl Amai had grown accustomed to calling ‘Red’ frowned.

“Yes, I’m alright!” Amai shrugged her bag off her shoulders, pulling out the rest of the boxes. “I usually have some help and-- ...Excuse me? Boss?”

The delinquents fell silent, all sharing a worried look with each other.

“Shit, my bad--” Red backed away, averting her gaze.

“No, it’s alright! It’s just...I was under the impression that you gave  _ Osoro  _ that title.”

“What, you ain’t hear?”

“Hear...what?” Amai frowned.

“Osoro, she…” Red hesitated.

“She ain’t here! Not now, at least.” One of the boys blurted out. Amai remembered Osoro calling the boy ‘Dandy’ on several occasions.

“She’s coming tomorrow though, right?” Amai tried to smile.

“Not tomorrow, or the next day. She ain’t coming for the next few weeks.” Dandy suddenly looked down at the ground, forlorn.

“Is she okay?!”

“The better question is, are  _ you  _ ?” Red spoke up again. “She told us you got pretty fucked up.”

“Then she beat the shit outta the freak who crossed you.” Dandy added.

“I...I did?” Amai tried to recall, but her memory of the previous day were all a blur. All she could remember was leaving the club room and someone yelling before she blacked out.

“Got suspended for nearly killing the broad. She  _ should  _ have killed her, but that would’ve landed her outta the school for good.”

“I got her suspended…” Amai mumbled. Her eyes began welling up with tears. Perhaps her dream was less of a bad omen and more of a form of comfort. She remembered how warm it felt in Osoro’s embrace, how gentle and genuine her voice seemed. The delinquents could only look on helplessly as she began to cry.

“We’re real sorry, boss.” Dandy sighed. “Y’know, she likes you a lot. Told us to keep an eye out on ‘ya.”

“W-Where...where does she live?”

Silence followed.

Amai wiped her tears with her hands, sniffing a bit. “I want to at least thank her...for everything so far. I want to make sure she’s okay…!”

“She never told us. Never knew too much ‘bout her personal shit.”

“Then I’ll find it.” Amai suddenly spoke with a strong tone in her voice, her tears beginning to slow their descent down her cheeks. Her brow furrowed as she wiped the remnants of teardrops from her eyes. Her heart felt heavy, but she acted with a newfound determination. “Even if it takes me a while, I’ll find her.”

“How the hell are you gonna do  _ that  _ ?”

“I have an idea.” Amai slung her bag back over her shoulder. “But until then, keep on your best behavior. We’re not losing another one of you before she comes back, alright?”

“Got it, boss.” The delinquents spoke in unison, nodding in acknowledgement.

“I’m counting on you. If you find anything out that could lead me to her, let me know.”

“Yes, boss.” They spoke in unison again.

Amai began to smile a bit. She was starting to like the sound of that.

The Student Council room was quiet for a change.

Kuroko enjoyed the silence. It gave her an optimal environment for completing her paperwork. She hummed softly as she began reviewing the fundraising options for the third year class. Twirling her pen between her fingers, Kuroko read slowly, making sure to absorb every single word. The sound of the door opening roused her from her thoughts.

“Ah. Ms. Odayaka, how may I help you.”

“Kuroko.” Amai closed the door behind her, approaching the desk. “I need a favor.”

“...A favor?”

“I need the home address of Osoro Shidesu.”

“I beg your pardon?” Kuroko’s eyes widened.

“I need the home address of Osoro Shidesu.” Amai repeated, firmer this time.

Kuroko raised an eyebrow at Amai’s request. “Ms. Odayaka, you  _ do  _ know it is against school policy for me to divulge a student’s personal information, correct?”

“This is extremely important!” Amai grabbed the desk, leaning forward. “I need to get in contact with her! She gave me no number! School was our only means of communication! And with her suspended--”

“I understand your concern, but I’m afraid I cannot bend the rules.” Kuroko returned to her papers, reading where she left off.

“Kuroko--”

“Ms. Odayaka, my answer is final.”

Amai sighed, backing away from the desk and shaking her head. “I thought you’d be understanding, but it seems I was wrong.”

“Kuroko, have you seen my--” Shiromi suddenly poked her head into the room. She looked at Amai, then Kuroko, then back to Amai.

“Shiromi.” Kuroko looked up briefly before returning to her reading.

“Yikes, am I interrupting something?”

“I was just leaving.” Amai moved past her, clearly a bit upset. Shiromi watched as she stormed off. Without thinking, she began to follow her.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, where’s the fire?” Shiromi called.

Amai paused, turning around to face her. “It’s nothing you can help with.”

“You sure? I can do a  _ lot  _ .”

“It’s--” Amai suddenly cut herself off. Perhaps she was asking the wrong person all along. Shiromi, although apart of the council, played pretty fast and loose with her authority. Out of all of the student council members, Amai had a better chance of success by asking Shiromi.  “Actually Shiromi, I need your help.”

“Ho ho! Do you now?” Shiromi waggled her eyebrows.

“This is really important.” Amai pulled her over to the side, away from where Kuroko could possibly hear them. “I need Osoro’s address.”

“....Hm.” Shiromi smirked.  “Interesting.”

“It sounds crazy to be asking but--”

“Oh, no. It is. You’re out of your mind.”

“ _ Please  _ . I’ll do anything, I mean  _ anything  _ .” Amai grabbed Shiromi’s shoulders looking her directly in the eye.

“Aaaanything?” Shiromi hummed.

“Anything. I promise.”

“Promise is a really  _ heavy  _ word.” Shiromi suddenly began to smile. “Alright. I’ll hold you to that. I’ll come collect my favor…eventually.”

“Th-that’s it?” Amai released Shiromi, completely bewildered. “Um, not to seem ungrateful, but that was a bit...easy.”

“What, you think I can say no to a face like that?” Shiromi gave Amai’s cheeks a quick pinch. “What kinda monster do you take me for?”

“I...I can’t thank you enough!” Amai grinned, reaching to give Shiromi a hug. Shiromi quickly sidestepped, putting distance between them.

“Whoa, there. I don’t do all that. You still owe me. Don’t forget it.”

“Sorry! S-Sorry, it’s just that I’ve been a bit on edge recently and--” Amai let out a sigh of relief, the tension building up in her mind beginning to fade. “I was worried for nothing!”

“You trust me that much? That’s so cute.” Shiromi chuckled. “Miiight wanna turn your phone off before class though.”

“My phone?” Amai reached into her pocket. A notification for an email popped up, with what appeared to be coordinates in the subject line. Amai squinted at the sequences of numbers. “Wait, how did you know that it was on?” She looked up again, only to find Shiromi gone without a trace.

“Oh my. She certainly works fast…” Amai stared at where she had been standing, her confusion made apparent by the look on her face. Before she could turn her phone off, her phone buzzed.

Another notification appeared.

**Don’t break your word.**

**: )**

Amai couldn't shake the feeling that she was making a rather dangerous deal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't expect this fic to get this long, if I'm quite honest? It was originally just going to be meant for Femslash February, but here we are, seven chapters in, almost done with April and I'm still writing my heart out haha;; 
> 
> Thank you so, so much for supporting me and this pairing, for that matter. 
> 
> Osomai is...it's just so sweet. I'm falling deeper into rarepair hell with each chapter orz


	8. Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Osoro was no stranger to suspension.

Truth be told, it was almost like a routine for her. A week or two off of school gave her time to unwind. It was like a vacation of sorts. She lost track of time, and before she knew it, she would be back at school again.

However, this was no ordinary suspension.

She was aware of the date— It was Friday. She wish she could forget.

She was aware of the time— It was 9. Class was in session. For once, she wished she was at school, tuning everything out as the teacher droned on. She almost missed the stuffy atmosphere of the classroom. It was much better than being home.

Osoro could hear thunder rumbling in the distance. Rain poured down, every drop striking the ground with an intensity that was a bit unsettling to her. She was painfully aware of where she was, and she hated it. Worry began swirling in her mind.

 _Their asses better be in class._ Osoro thought to herself as she stared out of her screen door, watching the rain flood the streets. She knew that her “family” was certainly capable of taking care of themselves, but when it came to school, they required...a bit of a push. At the very least, Osoro hoped that they were inside, safe and away from the rain.

Osoro looked at the clock hanging above the door. 9:04.

This was agony.

“Dammit, this is driving me batshit crazy!” She groaned, pressing her forehead against the door frame. She watched the rain in silence for a few more moments before slamming her hand against the door, shaking the screen.

“Fuck this. I'm stepping.” She reached for her jacket, but quickly dropped her hand upon realizing she had given it away. Osoro huffed and made her way to the back of her house, into her room. Stepping over the uniforms strewn about the floor, Osoro began rummaging through her closet. She had very few coats, but she did have a few hoodies in hand. Tearing a gray hoodie off of the rack, Osoro quickly threw on the hoodie. She zipped it up and walked out of her building. She had no destination in mind, but somewhere, anywhere, was better than staying home all day.  


The streets were still busy, despite the weather. People walked down the street, umbrellas in hand, chatting away as they strolled about. Nearby cafes and restaurants were packed, many of the patrons only there to wait out the rain. Osoro debated on whether or not she wanted to spend a few hours in a cafe. It was warm and provided a distraction, but she could already hear the cashier nagging her to buy something just to stay. She lacked the money and the patience for that. And yet, she found herself standing in front of one of them.

She peered into the windows, watching the people inside talk amongst themselves, sipping on their drinks and eating pastries as they made idle conversation.

“Seems more like Odayaka’s scene.” Osoro’s brow furrowed as she squinted to look beyond the fog forming in the glass. “Fancy ass type of place...wonder if she’s been.”

She paused.

“Maybe we could…”

She stopped herself again. Why was she thinking so hard about this? She didn’t even _like_ coffee all that much.

She kept walking.

Her mind kept going back to that cafe, sitting inside by the window on a rainy day, Amai sitting across from her, smiling as usual, picking up pieces of a slice pound cake and reaching over to--

 

“What the _fuck_ ?” Osoro blurted out, stopping again. She shook the thought out of head and began to cross the street. It was cheesy, _too_ cheesy. Osoro didn’t even want to think about where it possibly could have came from.

Osoro walked past a few clothing stores. She paid little attention to them, but a few dainty dresses caught her eye. There was one in particular: a dainty, mint green dress with plenty of frills along the bottom. It was cute, perhaps not her taste, but there was something about it. She could see Amai wearing it, twirling around to watch the dress poof out around her.

“ _What do you think?”_

 

_“Hm...I like it.”_

 

_“Ah, really?!”_

 

_“It suits you! Makes you look...cute.”_

 

_“You think I’m cute, Osoro?”_

Her own name started echoing in her head. Her eyes widened as she began to realize just how sickeningly cheesy her own thoughts were becoming. It disturbed her-- scared her even.

“Osoro?”

Osoro clenched her fist and slammed it into the store window, startling a few of the employees inside. “The hell’s wrong with me?!”

“Yo, Boss!”

“What?” She snapped, whipping her head around. Her glared softened as she fully turned around to see a boy on a bike staring right at her.

“...Umeji?”

“Yo.” Umeji nodded in acknowledgement.

“The hell are you doing out here?”

“Skipping.”

“Like hell you are! Get your ass back to school!”

“Relax! I'm sick! Technically.” Umeji smirked. Osoro rolled her eyes and resumed walking, with Umeji trailing behind her.

“Hold up! Where ‘ya going?”

“Away.” Osoro shrugged.

“Yeah, no shit! I meant the actual place!”

“Didn't your folks ever tell you not to ride in the rain?”

Umeji suddenly blushed, taken aback by her question. “S-so?! It ain't even that hard!”

“Kid, you can drop the act. We're not in Akademi.” Osoro slowed down, letting Umeji catch up with her. She could hear him let out a sigh of relief.

“My bad! My bad. But, seriously? You look lost.”

“I’m fine.”

Umeji fell silent, thinking to himself. He squeezed the brakes, suddenly jolting to a stop. “Hey, Boss?”

“Yeah?”

“You wanna...maybe…” Umeji shrugged, avoiding eye contact. He took a breath, then forced himself to directly at her. “Look, it’s not gonna stop raining, so we might as well sit down somewhere!”

“O...kay?" Osoro shoved her hands in her pockets. “Where?”

“I dunno! Wherever! If you get sick, I’m kicking my own ass!”

Osoro snickered.  “Alright, kid. Lead the way.”

After a few minutes of walking and playful bickering, the two managed to circle back to Umeji’s house. Osoro vaguely remembered staying over once. Last time she stayed, she had somehow gotten roped into an intense game of Slayer Signal that ended up with two broken controllers, Gaku nearly breaking his arm again, and a chipped vase. Good times. Violent, heart wrenchingly frustrating times, but good times nonetheless.

“Stay as long as you need! Folks don’t get home ‘till late today. Some dinner they gotta attend.” Umeji opened the door, letting Osoro walk in first before closing the door behind them.

“I’ll be out before dark.” Osoro plopped down on the couch. “Aw, the dent in the wall is still there from last time!”

“Game night was a hell of a bad idea.” Umeji winced at the memory of a controller being thrown at the wall.

“We’ll have to do it again someday!”

“Not at my house, we’re not!” Umeji huffed, retreating into the kitchen. “You want a drink?”

“Your ma still drink those weird fizzy waters?”

“One day she’s gonna notice me taking these out of the fridge.” Umeji groaned, coming back into the living room with an orange soda and a bottle of lemon water. “Take it.”

“Thanks, kid.” Osoro grinned, snatching the bottle out of his hands and twisting the cap off. She took a big swig of water, then began coughing as she forced herself to swallow it. “Shit, those are disgusting!”

“And yet, you still drink…” Umeji took a seat next to her.

“They burn the fuck out of my throat, but it’s worth it.” Osoro shrugged, taking another sip.

“So, Boss.” Umeji popped the top off of his soda, changing the subject. “I heard what happened. You wanna, uh...explain this whole thing to me?”

“Well, let’s see.” Osoro leaned back in her seat, sighing. “I got in a fight--”

“Yeah? What else is new?”

“Nah, it wasn’t a real fight though. Just some weirdo with a knife.”

Umeji blinked, completely dumbfounded. “Go on.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I beat the shit out of her. Bruises, might’ve crushed her windpipe.”

“Nice.” Umeji began to smile. “What’d you use?”

“My bare hands.” Osoro sneered. “What the fuck else?”

“Holy shit. Keep going!”

“Anyways, it’s just us right? I’m mad as hell. I could’ve killed her. But the Student Council rolls up and puts a stop to it. Next thing I know, we’re in the nurse’s office and I got off easy with a suspension.”

Umeji could only look at her in awe. “What started it? Turf war? A dare?”

“...A girl.” Osoro took another sip of her drink.

“Boss, you gotta be more specific!” He was practically on the edge of his seat.

“Odayaka.” Just saying her name nearly made Osoro blush.

“The chick with the lunches?”

“Yeah. Her. Got drugged or knocked out or...something.” She began to frown. “I dunno. I just freaked out. She looked like a goddamn corpse. I had to do _something_.”

“Damn.” Umeji could see it now, Osoro, standing triumphant over the battered body, jacket flowing in the wind, clutching Amai in her arms. “You’re like her hero then!”

“I dunno about all that.” Osoro shifted in place. “Dunno if she’s okay. Dunno if she even _knows_. Hell, I don’t even know why I did any of that.”

“Maybe you care or...something like that?”

Osoro frowned. “The fuck?”

“I mean. Sounds like it.” Umeji paused to take a sip of his soda. “If you’re not with us, you’re with her.”

“I’m just trying to get you chumps taken care of!” Osoro began squeezing her bottle, clearly defensive.

“Boss, lemme tell you. If you care, that’s cool.” He shrugged. “I mean, you like this chick. I don’t give a damn if you or don’t. Hell, Hokuto’s rooting for you--”

“He’s _what?”_

“He was always into that cheesy kind of junk. Still kind of is.” Umeji smirked. “Point is, we’ve got your back! All of us. ‘Sides, worst she could do is say no, yeah?”

“I don’t even like her!” Osoro glared. “She makes good food, and that’s it!”

“You think she’s nice?”

“Wh-- I guess?”

“Think she’s pretty?”

“I mean, she’s not...ugly?” Osoro struggled to find the words. “She’s okay.”

“What does she smell like?” Umeji began swirling his soda.

“The fuck kind of question is that?!”

“Answer it!”

“Like...cupcakes? Sugar, mostly. Cookies, sometimes.” Her brow furrowed. “Hell if I know! She just smells good!”

“Damn.” Umeji began laughing. “You’ve got it bad!”

“Shut up!” Osoro huffed, punching him in the arm.

Umeji winced a bit, but continued to laugh. “Just tell her, Boss!”

“Can we talk about something else? Anything?” Osoro groaned. “Are you holding down the fort?”

Umeji suddenly frowned. “...About that.”

“What the hell did you do?” Osoro sighed, ready for the ludicrous answer to come.

“The Council’s cracking down on us.”

Osoro sat up, frowning. “Wait, what?”

“They got most of us. The boys and I have been keeping our heads down. But they’re legit this time.”

“You’re fucking with me.”

“Most of us already got the boot.” Umeji looked down into his soda, guilt heavy on his shoulders. “Red, Dandy, Blue-- gone. I dunno where the hell it even came from, but ever since you left…”

“Shit…” Osoro set her bottle down on the ground, beginning to nervously crack her knuckles.

“Odayaka let us hide out in her club after school so they can’t get to us that easily.” Umeji shook his head, smiling bitterly. “She’s way too nice, I swear.”

“Do...do me a favor.”

“Yeah?”

“Keep yourselves in their good graces. Go to class, don’t bother anybody.” She spoke with a grave seriousness.”Stay near Odayaka. If someone tries to pin something on you, she’ll stand up for you. Got it?”

Umeji nodded. “Loud and clear.”

“When I get back to Akademi, I’m gonna raise some hell.”

* * *

 

Osoro had lost track of time. Before she knew it, she had already spent hours at Umeji's house. The street lights were beginning to turn on, and people were returning home from work. She left in a hurry, determined not to get caught in the rain. The downpour had gotten more intense since the morning, and the thunder was growing louder and louder. She ran home, forcing herself to ignore the shops and cafes. She had no time to fantasize.

By the time she had made it home, lightening had began to crack through the skies. Osoro quickly ran inside, slamming the door behind her. She peeled off the hoodie and tossed it on the floor of the living room. She threw herself on the couch, and closed her eyes, catching her breath. She felt as if she just broke a record of some sort. She could have slept right on the couch...

 

If it weren't for the sudden knocking.

 

Osoro ignored the knocking, hoping it was just branches tapping on the window. But the longer she sat in silence, the louder the knocking got. She squeezed her eyes shut and rolled over to her side.

The knocking got more and more frantic.

Osoro groaned as she slowly rose to her feet, stomping over to the door.

“God, I'm coming! Shut the fuck up!” She unlocked the door and opened it.

“Good evening to you too!”

Osoro's eyes widened.  “Odayaka?”

“Found you.” Amai smiled, trembling as she spoke and clutching tightly onto the jacket draped over her shoulders. Her hair clung onto her face, and her uniform clung onto her skin. Osoro could only stare at her in disbelief. She could have sworn she was seeing things. It seemed to good to be true. Part of her was afraid that if she reached out, Amai would suddenly disappear between her fingers. Without thinking, she suddenly pulled Amai into the house, capturing her in a hug. Amai yelped as she jerked forward, but she ultimately found herself settling into the hug.

“Jesus, Odayaka…” Osoro sighed, squeezing her tighter.

The feeling was warm and comforting. Amai didn't want to let go.

Osoro released her, but began to frown. “You're freezing!”

“I got lost...but,” Amai removed the jacket off of herself. “I brought this back!”

“You could've kept the damn thing! It's not worth freezing your ass off for it!”

“I'll be fine, I promise!”

“I'll be damned if you catch something.” Osoro crossed her arms. “Take ‘em off.”

“Take...what?”

“The skirt, the shirt-- off.”

“B-But!” Amai flushed, stepping away from her. “I didn't bring any clothes with me!”

“You can borrow mine! Shower. Now.” Osoro pointed down the hall.

Amai sighed in defeat, handing Osoro the jacket before walking towards the bathroom, dripping water as she went.

Osoro smiled a bit. She had never been more relieved to see her.

* * *

 

“I can pick anything?” Amai sifted through Osoro’s closet, keeping her towel wrapped firmly around her chest.

 

“Go ahead. I don't care.” Osoro shrugged, plopping down on her bed.

“Hm…” Amai hummed in thought. She and Osoro certainly had different tastes in style. There were several articles of athletic wear, most of it in varying shades of black and grey. There were a few flashes of red among the monotone wardrobe. Amai carefully picked up a shirt off of the wrack. She turned back to Osoro.

 

“Don't look.”

“What? Does it matter?” Osoro rolled her eyes.

“Close your eyes!” Amai pouted.

 

Osoro leaned back until she was on her back, staring at the ceiling.

 

“And no peeking!”

“I wasn't even--” Osoro groaned, reaching for a pillow and covering her face. She could hear Amai shuffling around the room, and what she presumed was the towel hitting the floor.

“What kinda freak do you take me for, Odayaka?”

“Almost done!”

 

Osoro stayed quiet.

 

“Okay, all done!”

 

Osoro removed the pillow and sat up. Amai twirled around in one of her old jerseys. It was clearly two sizes bigger than her, and it was long enough to almost touch her knees. Amai was practically swimming in it, but she seemed content.

 

“...Huh.”

“Too much?”

“Nah it's…” Osoro tilted her head, struggling to come up with the right word.

“ _Do you think I'm cute, Osoro?”_ The thought resounded in her head.

“...Okay. You look decent.”

“Better decent and warm than cold!” Amai shrugged, taking a seat down next to Osoro. She leaned in towards Osoro, nearly laying her head on her shoulder. Osoro tensed up. She didn't dare move an inch.

“...So.”

“I suppose you have several questions.” Amai looked up at her.

“How'd you get here?”

“I walked.”

“In the rain?!”

“I didn't think it was that bad.” Amai swung her legs, staring down at her feet. “But the further I went, the worse it got.”

“Are you still cold?” Osoro shifted, pulling one of her blankets from under her.

“A little.”

Osoro draped it over Amai. Amai mumbled a “Thank you,” and wrapped the blanket around herself.

“Shiromi told me how to find you.” Amai continued. “I know it's sudden, but I just had to. I…” Amai looked up at Osoro once more. “I missed you.”

“Seriously?” Osoro snorted.

“Cooking without you felt strange. It felt...wrong.” Amai sighed. “I really did miss you, Osoro.”

Osoro felt something within herself. It felt as if her chest had twisted itself into a knot. She was almost certain that this girl would be the end of her. Something about her kindness, her open and sincere nature, her generosity and warmth-- all of it was so endearing. Osoro hadn't the slightest clue how to describe it. Maybe Umeji was right. Maybe she did harbor feelings for her.

“I missed you too, Odayaka.” Osoro wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. Amai smiled, draping the blanket over the both of them.

“This is nice. I missed spending time with you.”

“I wasn't even gone that long yet.”

“It was enough.” Amai closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth.

“You know, you can stay if you need to.” The words came out before Osoro could stop herself. “Rain’s not supposed to let up until tomorrow.”

“I'll think about it.”

“You _want_ to die out there?”

“...Alright.” Amai sunk down further beneath the blanket. “Alright, I’ll stay for a bit.”

“I could...try to cook you something. Not to brag, but I can make some damn good rice.”

Amai giggled, laying her head down on Osoro’s shoulder. “Really now? I’m looking forward to it.”

 

The two listened to the rain, enjoying the atmosphere. No words were needed. They felt at peace with each other. There were so many things Amai wanted to discuss, so many things she wanted to tell Osoro. But before she could even organize her thoughts, she had fallen asleep.

 

And Osoro had fallen asleep soon after.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hi~  
> So! How about those delinquents, huh? I actually had a bit of trouble trying to figure out where I wanted this fic to go because of the sudden replacement! But I think I got it figured out! I was originally...just going to rewrite the whole thing, but that would be a bit weird, so I decided to go this route.  
> Kind of wanted the next few chapters to be fluffy since...the last few had a lot of drama haha;;  
> Again, thank you all so so much for reading!


	9. Honesty

Osoro couldn't remember falling asleep.

She remembered listening to Amai speak, curling up next to Osoro as she did so. She could remember Amai's voice growing softer and softer until it stopped altogether. Quiet snoring soon replaced her words. Osoro didn't know when she had slept, or even if she even had slept. But the warm that they had felt in that moment was enough to lull her into a state of peace.

Osoro stirred, groaning as she sunk deeper under the covers. She had no reason to wake up— she was perfectly fine with spending her weekend in bed. But the smell of eggs cooking was enough to rouse her out of bed. Osoro cracked an eye open, squinting at the sunlight that was filling the room.

"Ma...?" Her voice was hoarse. Osoro slowly pushed the covers off of her and inched her way out of bed. She rubbed at her eyes as she shuffled down the hallway. She turned the corner, expecting her mother to have left breakfast and a note on the kitchen table. Much to her surprise, Amai was standing in front of the stove, humming as she placed a slice of bread onto the frying pan.

"Oh, you're awake? Amai glanced behind her and smiled. "Good morning!"

The memory of the previous night came rushing back to her. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. "Uh, yeah." Osoro looked around, hypnotized by the spread of breakfast foods Amai had set out on the table. Sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes— if she didn't know any better, she would have _began drooling_ "Mornin'."

"I hope you don't mind." Amai returned her attention to the frying pan, turning the bread into its other side. "But consider this a thank you for allowing me to stay!"

"You... really didn't have to."

"It'll be ready soon! Just sit down!"

Osoro took a seat at the table, unsure of what to say. Part of her wanted to grab a slice of bacon and start eating immediately. She watched Amai as she moved about the kitchen.

"Still wearing my stuff?"

Amai paused and looked down at her clothes. "O-Oh...! I'm sorry! I'll wash it for you!"

"It's cool." Osoro shook her head, cracking a smile. "It suits you."

"You think so?" Amai chuckled, playfully posing for her.

"It's...cute."

Amai blushed, completely taken aback. "A-Ah..."

Osoro's eyes widened upon realizing what she had just said. She coughed, then returned her attention to the food on the table.

"Thank you, Osoro." Amai began to smile as she focused back on her french toast. Osoro? Calling her cute? Surely she misheard. Either way, she was positive that she would remember that comment for a while.

"Y-You...you can keep it!"

"Well, it is rather comfy." Amai came over to Osoro, frying pan and spatula in hand. She pushed the toast off of the pan and onto an empty plate. "I'll consider it." She winked, then returned to the stove, turning it off and gently setting the pan and spatula down on top of it.

"Your folks know you're here?" Osoro began loading her plate once Amai sat down across from her.

"Mmhm! I told them I'd be spending the day at a friend's house." Amai began taking pieces of bacon to put on her own plate. "So, I thought that we should take advantage of the weekend!"

Osoro leaned back, biting into a piece of bacon. "Alright, Odayaka. Whatcha have in mind?"

"W-well! I thought about it a-and..." Amai looked away, twiddling her thumbs. "We're always in the kitchen together, so I thought that we could take a break of sorts."

"Break?"

"Maybe lunch! Or shopping, or...you know!" Amai smiled. "Just to spend time with each other."

Osoro stared.

"O-Or not! We don't have to!" Amai shrunk back in her seat, becoming increasingly antsy as Osoro stared at her.

"You know what? Fine."

"Really?" Amai's eyes lit up.

"Only if you let me pay for it!"

"If you insist, Ms. Shidesu." Amai smiled, taking a few pancakes in celebration of her small victory. "I suppose that we have a date then!"

Osoro felt her chest tightened at the word 'date". The only thing she could say was a hurried "Mmhm...!" before she stuffed her face with food. She never thought breakfast could be this good, and yet so nerve wracking.

"I might have to stop by my house though."Amai squinted as she began daintily cutting her pancakes. "I didn't bring any clothes last night. But I guess I could wear my uniform--"

"No fuckin' way." Osoro finally spoke again. "All of that's still soaked."

"I don't wear your size!"

Osoro immediately thought back to the store she had passed the previous day. Part of her was already praying that the dress she saw was still in stock while the other part of her was trying to coax her into eating before her meal got cold. "I'll buy you something then."

"You really don't have to! You're already treating me to lunch!"

"You did me a bigass favor! At least let me treat you this one time!" Osoro huffed, picking up a piece of toast and biting into it.

"...Alright.." Amai nodded slowly. "I understand."

"Good. Now that we've got that down," Osoro grinned, taking another bite of toast. 'Promise me you'll hook me up with more french toast someday, 'kay?"

After breakfast and a brief french toast tutorial, Amai changed back into her damp uniform. Osoro insisted she wear her jacket-- at least until Amai could change. Amai kept the jacket buckled and rolled up the sleeves a bit, hoping she could pass it off as an oversized raincoat of sorts. She carefully stepped out of Osoro's room and into the hall, careful not to track water behind her.

"All done?" Osoro called from the living room.

"All done! Your turn!"

Without another word, Osoro got up and returned to her room. Before Amai could even close the door behind her, Osoro's shirt was already off. Amai accidentally slammed the door in shock, blushing as she scrambled away from the door.

"You good?" Osoro shouted.

"Yep! Never better! All good!" Amai's voice cracked as her eyes darted around the hall, desperate to find a distraction. She settled for the picture of who she presumed to be one of Osoro's relatives hanging on the wall.

Osoro soon came back out of the room almost as fast as she went in. Pulling her hair up into a ponytail, she approached Amai. "Ready to roll?"

Amai looked back at her before returning her attention to the picture. "Is this your mother?"

"Oh. Uh, yeah. Why?"

"She's so pretty! You look a lot like her."

"...I don't see it." Osoro frowned, trying not to think too hard on whether that was a compliment or not.

"Oh, everyone says that about their parents though! But enough stalling." Amai smiled, taking Osoro by the arm. "Shall we then?"

This girl was bound to be the death of her.

The two finally made their way out of the door and into the streets. The rain had stopped, but pools of water lingered on the ground here and there. Osoro kept Amai from stepping in any stray puddles, lest she ruin her shoes a second time. Amai looked around at the shops surrounding the area in awe. Osoro couldn't help but smile a bit at her reaction.

"What, you've never been on this side of town before?"

"Not that I can recall, no."

"It's always crowded. Tourists and shit."

"I remember someone telling me Umeiji also living near this area." Amai suddenly began to frown. "I hope he's feeling well..."

Osoro rolled her eyes, debating on if she should indulge Amai in the details of Umeiji’s truancy.

“So, Ms. Shidesu,” Amai let go of her arm, only to reach for Osoro’s hand. She began to swing their hands as they walked. “Where are we off to first?”

“I'll know when I see it.”

“You...don't know?”

“It's something in French! I dunno how the hell to pronounce it! I just know it by the store window!” Osoro huffed, suddenly aware of Amai’s hand intertwined in her own. She hesitantly gave her hand a squeeze. After a few moments, she felt Amai return the squeeze.

“If you say so.” Amai gave her a playful smile.

“Wait! That one!” Osoro began to run, dragging Amai along with her. Amai stumbled a few times as they bobbed and weaved through the streets, occasionally stomping through the shallow puddles that were scattered among the concrete. Osoro stopped in front of the boutique and led Amai inside. A faint chime rung throughout the store, signaling their arrival. There weren’t many patrons shopping-- only a few young girls and a married couple. Much to Osoro’s relief, the dress was still in the display window.

“I never took you for the type to enjoy fashion!” Amai snickered as she took a look around, admiring the clothing.

“Hilarious.” Osoro deadpanned. “Just hurry up and find something you like. The music in this place blows.” She glanced back at the dress in the window and slowly began to inch away from Amai. Once she was positive that Amai was fully distracted, she approached the nearest employee. Before the poor girl could even get two words out, Osoro pointed to the dress.

“That one. Where is it?”

“Um--”

“Do I look like I have all fuckin’ day? Where is it?”

“Wh...what size are you looking for?” 

Osoro paused. She returned to Amai’s side, immediately taking the shirt she had picked up out of her hands and squinting at the tag.

“Hey!” Amai huffed, snatching the shirt back.

“14.” Osoro returned to the staff member.

The girl scurried towards the back of the store, disappearing behind a rack full of jackets before returning with the dress in her hands. “Here you go!”

Amai stood behind Osoro, fully prepared to give her a stern talking to about forcefully taking things from people. Her train of thought was quickly interrupted by the sight of the dress.“Oh, that’s so pretty!” Amai gasped. “Osoro, you should--”

“Don’t get any weird ideas! This is for you!” Osoro took the dress from the girl and held it away from herself, as if it were going to attack her just for holding it. “I saw it the other day and...it just looked like somethin’ you’d wear!”

“Is that so?” Amai took the dress, admiring it for a moment before clutching it close to her chest.”I’ll be back!” She rushed towards a dressing room.

Osoro took a seat in one of the chairs stationed around the changing area. She leaned back in her seat, watching the other customers in the store as she waited.

Amai stepped out of the booth, hands on her hips. She straightened out a few wrinkles on the dress before returning to her pose. “Well? What do you think?”

“Uh…” Osoro blinked, completely dumbfounded. She knew the dress would suit her, but not _this_ well. She couldn’t even bring herself to say anything. She could only stare.

“Osoro? Are you okay?” Amai frowned and took a few steps closer. “You look a bit flushed.”

“Good!” Osoro suddenly shouted, the words finally coming back to her. “You look good!” She gave her a weak thumbs up.

“You really think so?” Amai twirled, giving Osoro a proper look.

“Mmhm!” Osoro’s throat was becoming horribly dry. She felt as if her chest would explode at any moment.

“Since you seem to like it so much, I’ll take it!”

* * *

Once Osoro paid for the dress and after Amai had dumped her wet clothing into a shopping bag, the two left the boutique and continued down the street.

“Oh, before I forget!” Amai pulled Osoro’s jacket out of her bag. “Here!”

“Just hold on to it until I get back.”

“It wouldn’t be right if I kept it.”

“Just keep it! I don’t need it right now. I’ll get it when I’m back at Akademi.”

“Speaking of which, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Amai draped the jacket over her arm. “Why did you save me?”

“The fuck kind of question is that?”

“I was told that you really hurt that girl. I’m thankful that you helped me but--”

“Look, if you’re gonna say that I shouldn’t have beaten that chick, I don’t wanna hear it.”

“You could’ve been in serious trouble! If you would have gotten expelled, I would’ve felt terrible!”

“It’s over and done with. Don’t worry about it. You’re safe and that’s all that matters.”

“All I’m saying is that you didn’t have to go such lengths for me.”Amai’s voice went quiet and she began gazing down at her feet.

“Well, excuse me for trying to help!” Osoro crossed her arms. Her walking pace shifted into an angry stomp.

“You seem so tense today.” Amai looked up at Osoro, frowning. "Are you sure everything's alright?"

“It’s none of your business! Don’t even worry about it!” Osoro snapped. Guilt quickly set in once she saw Amai flinch. Osoro scratched the back of her head, struggling to gather her thoughts. “Look, what I mean is...Fuck, I dunno! I barely know what the hell’s wrong with me!”

Amai hummed in thought, taking another look at their surroundings. She walked towards a nearby bench and sat down, placing her bag at her feet. She gave the space next to her a gentle pat. “Come sit.”

“What--”

“Take a seat.”

Osoro obeyed, sitting down next to her.

“Tell me. What’s on your mind, Ms. Shidesu?”

Osoro slouched down in her seat. “Too damn much.”

“Well, I have all day.” Amai folded her hands in her lap.

“What are you, my therapist?” Osoro mumbled under her breath. She looked over at Amai, at the frown now set on her face, and felt guilt eating away at her again.

“I want to help you! You’re my friend and…” She trailed off, her voice wavering a bit. Amai cleared her throat and attempted to calm her nerves. “I really care about you, Osoro. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m cool. Really!” Osoro shoved her hands into her pockets. “It’s...not me. It’s a friend.”

“Alright. What about them?”

“I...talked to them yesterday. And they told me they liked this chick.” Osoro spoke slowly. “But they didn’t really _know_ they liked her. They just kind of assumed that they were cool since they spent so much time together--”

“So...they don’t...know that they have feelings for this girl?”

“Okay-- at _first_. But we talked. And then they had a ‘oh shit’ kind of moment while we were talking. And they finally realized that they had some fuckin’...weird feelings for that chick.”

Amai nodded, now fully invested in the conversation at hand.

“But it’s so weird! They don’t know what the fuck to do. It’s funny, in a really pathetic sort of way. They're thinking about telling her but…” Osoro looked down at her feet, digging the heels of her shoes into the ground in frustration.

“But…?”

“They’re gonna fuck it up. I know they are. They’re gonna fuck it up, and she’ll never talk to them again, and it’s gonna kill them.”

“I see.” Amai began to think.  She fully turned to Osoro, putting on the most serious face she could muster. “Osoro, you’re just going to have to trust them.”

“Trusting them is the _last_ thing I want to do!”

“You have to trust them! If they really do have feelings for her, they’ll take it seriously! And when the time comes, they’ll express how they really feel.” Amai rose to her feet in a fit of newfound passion.

“Just...telling her is supposed to work then?”

“Think of it this way: it's better to live with rejection than with regrets.”

“Good point.” Osoro fell deep into thought. “There's no point in trying to half ass things, so...” She stood up, taking a deep breath. “This is going to be really, _really_ weird.”

“Osoro? What--” Amai looked up at her. Osoro grabbed her by the shoulders, gazing down right into her eyes.

“Listen, Odayaka. And listen good because I'll be damned if I'm repeating myself!” Osoro’s brow furrowed. She could already feel the sweat forming on her palms. "I...kinda...you know…” Osoro squeezed her eyes shut. “I like you, alright?! You've got me so fucked up that I don't even know how to deal with it! You're so nice to me that it's killing me!”

Amai's eyes widened. She listened in stunned silence. Osoro began to shake her slightly as she spoke.

“You're way too kind for your own good! And you're pretty, and you smell good and it's driving me nuts!”

“Oso--”

“And I know me telling you this is all sorts of weird but I had to! I don't care if you never talk to me again but my head was gonna explode if I didn't say anything!” Osoro's hands clenched into fists. “Ever since we started cooking, I started feeling things I'm not supposed to and it's so _s_ _tupid_ but...fuck, Amai, I like you! Way too much!”

“Osoro, I…” Amai couldn’t think of anything to say. Her thoughts were becoming increasingly frantic.

“You don’t have to say anything. I get it. I’d give you one hell of a terrible rep and it would--”

“I like you too!” Amai suddenly shouted, catching the attention of a few passersby.

“You _what?!”_

Amai stepped closer to her, grabbing Osoro’s shoulders and looking her directly in the eye. “I. _like_. You. Entirely too much!”

“There’s no way you’re serious!”

“Osoro, I wouldn’t lie to you! I meant what I said! I really do like you!” Amai tightened her grip. “We can pretend this whole conversation never happened if you want. But it’s only fair if I told you the truth!”

The two stared at each other in silence, both of them beginning to blush at the realization of what they had just done. They were afraid to be the first to speak, or even to speak at all. They could only look at each other, trying not to crack under the pressure.

“What...what do we do now?” Amai whispered, finally letting go of Osoro’s shoulders.

“I’ve never done this before! How should I know?” Osoro began to laugh nervously.

Amai soon began to laugh as well. “Can we start over?”

“Alright,” Osoro cleared her throat. “Um...Odayaka?”

“Yes, Ms. Shidesu?”

Osoro stifled a laugh. “I like you. A whole lot.”

“And I like _you_. And I think I have for quite a while now.”

Osoro smiled and pulled Amai in for a hug. She continued laughing as Amai returned the hug, beginning to sway a bit. Osoro couldn’t stop smiling. She felt as if a weight had finally been lifted off of her shoulders. There was an warm feeling in her chest, but it was much more pleasant than the agonizing pressure she had felt previously. She released Amai after a few moments, her smile unfaltering. “Promise me we’ll still be cool?”

Amai took Osoro’s hand, squeezing it as tightly as she could. “We will. I promise.”

“You’re a real angel, Odayaka.”

“Now then, how does lunch sound?” Amai offered Osoro a smile of her own as she swung their hands together, continuing to stroll down the street.

“Right now? Fuckin’ fantastic.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW, CONFESSIONS!
> 
> Hello, hello! It's been a while since my last update! I'm really sorry about the lack of updates, but I've hit a rough creative patch recently and writing has been a bit tough, but I'm doing my best! ( ˙꒳˙ )  
> Thank you so much for being patient with me! Osomai is.... it's so good!!


	10. Return

“Yo, Boss! You got any snacks?”

“I believe we have some marshmallows, but those are for the--” Before Amai could even finish her sentence, the delinquents had already located and tore into the bag. The five of them divided the marshmallows among themselves, all eager to devour them.

“...S’mores.” Amai sighed, shaking her head.

“--e’ll buy ah new bah.” Umeji mumbled as he stuffed another marshmallow into his mouth.

“Promise?”

“We got you! Don’t worry about it!” Hokuto waved a hand dismissively, focusing on his own stash of marshmallows.

Amai took a seat next to Umeji, watching over them with a stern expression. “I hope you know I’m holding all of you to that.”

“Lighten up! We got you, remember?” 

Amai leaned forward, resting her head on in her hand as she began to smile. Ever since Osoro had left, this had become the norm. The boys would keep her company in the morning, and Amai would happily feed them in the afternoon. It wasn’t unusual to see them tailing behind her as she rushed to her classes, but people began to fear for her safety. Surely a girl like Amai had no business associating with the riff-raff of Akademi-- at least, that’s what most people thought. Some believed that she was bullied into keeping them around her. Others were starting to believe that Amai had some sort of romantic relationship with all of them concurrently. Even so, she didn’t bother to address the rumors that began to surface. 

All Amai wanted to do was keep them out of harm’s way.

“Speaking of getting things,” Amai reached for a marshmallow. “I might need your help within the next week.”

“Yeah? Help with what?” Gaku leaned back in his seat, squeezing the marshmallow between his fingers.

“Well, I thought that it would be nice if...you know,” Amai blushed a bit. “Threw a bit of a welcome back party. For Osoro, when she gets back!”

The boys glanced around at each other.

“...Alright. We’re down for it.”

Amai’s eyes lit up as she suddenly leaned forward. “Really? You’ll help?”

“If you make those cupcakes from way back again, sure.” Umeji gave her a playful nudge. 

“Oh, thank you!” Amai suddenly wrapped her arms around him, giving him a tight hug. “We’ll make it the best party she’s ever seen!” Umeiji froze, looking frantically towards his friends for any sort of assistance. They snickered, all of them far too engrossed in their confections to offer any assistance. Umeiji squirmed, attempting to pry her off. 

“Alright, alright! Geez, cut that out! I don’t need people assuming shit!”

Amai pouted and eventually released him, but not before reaching over and stealing a marshmallow from his pile and popping it into her mouth. 

“What the fuck, Odayaka?!”

Amai covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed. The rest of delinquents soon followed, except for Umeiji, who remained stewing in his anger over the loss of his marshmallows. The school bell chimed, signaling that the start of the school day was rapidly approaching. Groans filled the room as the boys reluctantly stood up. Amai quickly twisted the bag of leftover marshmallows shut and stored them back in the cabinet.

“Have a good day, everyone!” Amai waved as the boys filed out of the room, all of them hesitant to leave the comfort of the club room. She received a half-hearted “Later, boss.” from some and a departing wave from the others. Amai smiled to herself and retrieved a tub of wet wipes from the cabinet, wiping the traces of marshmallow fluff off of the table. Warmth settled in her chest as she began thinking towards the future. Osoro would be back, and things would go back to the way they were. The weekend felt like a blur. She could only remember bits and pieces of what really happened. But even so, the pieces she remembered were enough to make her heart flutter. It almost felt like a dream.

“Alright.” She whispered to herself as she gathered her belongings. “Let’s make this week count!”

The following week sped by as Amai and the delinquents began planning what was sure to be the best welcoming party Akademi had yet to see. Before they knew it, Monday had come by once more. The plan was simple: keep Osoro away form the club room until the end of the day. Thankfully, the delinquents had more than enough to talk about with Osoro and kept her distracted while Amai baked. The end of the school day finally arrived and all was in order. Hokuto, Umeiji and Gaku decorated the room while Dairoku and Hayanari set the table. As soon as they finished, Amai rushed out to find Osoro.

"Here, put this on!"

"A...blindfold?" Osoro frowned.

"It's another taste test! For a club activity!"

Osoro hesitantly kneeled down. Amai tied the blindfold as tight as she could and grabbed her hand. As soon as Osoro stood up, Amai began running towards the club room.

"What the hell?!"

"We have to get there before it gets cold!"

"Damn, at least slow down!" Osoro nearly tripped as they suddenly made a sharp turn.  
  


"We're almost there!" Amai giggled as she led Osoro down the hall. "Just hold on a bit longer!"

"Odayaka, what are we--"

"Just wait!" The two turned another corner and rapidly approached the club room. Osoro sniffed, catching the familiar scent of sugar in the air. Before she could ask any more questions, she was suddenly brought to a stop. She could hear the door sliding, and the sugary scent grew stronger.

"Alright! Here we go!" Amal stood on her tiptoes and undid the blindfold. She quickly took her place inside the kitchen with the others as the blindfold fell into Osoro's hands. 

"Welcome back, Boss." All of the boys seemed to maintain the same monotone while Amai sung out a cheery "Welcome back, Osoro!"

"…Holy shit." Osoro looked around at the display of cookies, cupcakes, and tarts that sat upon the table. A rather hastily drawn "Welcome Back" sign hung from the ceiling and a few bunches of balloons surrounded the table. One chair in particular was adorned in streamers and placed at the head of the table. Osoro could only stare in awe. 

"You sit here!" Amai walked over to the decorated chair, pointing at it.

"You did all of this…just for me?"

"Why the hell not?" Gaku smirked. "You've done us a few solids. At least let us return the favor."

Osoro began to smile and shake her head. "This is ridiculous. You better not get all soft on me!"

"Can we eat now?" Umeiji groaned. "I'm starving over here!"

"Everyone help yourself!" Amai gestured towards the table. 

Without a second thought, Osoro and the boys took their seats and began taking their share of treats. 

"Does anybody want anything to drink?" Amai made her way back into the kitchen and pulled out a few plastic cups from the cabinet. "We have lemonade and--"

"Lemonade's cool!" Hokuto called out.

"Anybody else?" Amai retrieved the bottle of lemonade from the refrigerator. She assumed from the lack of any other responses that lemonade was the surefire option. She quickly got to work pouring drinks for everyone.

"Odayaka?"

Amai looked up to see Osoro entering the kitchen, cookie in hand and crumbs on her face. "Yes?'

"Should we…y'know." Osoro began to blush, looking over at the delinquents. 

"Should we what?" Amai walked over to her, wiping Osoro's mouth with her thumb. 

Her blush deepened and her brow furrowed. "About…us."

"Oh." Amai felt the heat rise to her cheeks. "Do you think we're ready for it?"

"If they've got something to say, they can say it to my fuckin' face!" Osoro huffed. 

Amai began to laugh. For all of her bravado, Amai had to admit, she found Osoro quite adorable at times. "Let's do it then! I'm sure they'll accept it!"

"Hell yeah!" Osoro suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to the dining area. 

"Wh--! Wait a minute! Let me get the drinks!"

Osoro paused and hesitantly let go of Amai’s hand. 

“Don’t pout. I’ll be done soon, alright?” Amai gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder and ushered her back towards the table. “Go have fun! It’s for you!”

Amai soon returned to the table, carefully carrying a tray of cups full of lemonade. She placed it in the center of the table and began passing drinks around. “There we go! Anything else I can get you?”

“Chill out for a sec, Odayaka!” Hayanari offered his cup to her. “Take a load off!”

“Oh, no! I'm fine!” She politely declined. 

“Come on! Just for a minute!” Dairoku nudged her. A chorus of “Take a seat!” and “Come on!” broke out among the table. Amai soon gave in to their wishes, sighing as she finally stepped away from the table.

“Okay! I'll take a break! Just for a moment.”

"You want me to get you a chair?" Umeiji raised an eyebrow.

"No need." Osoro beckoned for Amai to come closer. As soon as Amai approached, Osoro turned sideways in her chair, patting her lap."Take a seat, Odayaka."

Amai, without hesitation, sat down in her lap. 

"Attagirl." Osoro smirked, looking at the group with a newfound confidence as she took another cookie for herself.  Amai blushed, settling into place  The realization of what she had just done didn't occur to her until it was too late. Amai could feel the others staring at her. Out of all the possible ways to announce their relationship, this certainly was not one of them.

And yet, she felt an odd sense of comfort.

"Here." Osoro brought the cookie up to Amai's lips with one hand and firmly held her by the waist with the other. "Take a load off. I'll talk."

Amai nodded, taking a bite for herself.

"Listen up, boys." Osoro turned her attention to the boys, who looked as if they wanted to speak, but couldn't. "Odayaka--" She looked down at Amai and cleared her throat. "I mean… Amai and I have done some talking and uh." She struggled to find the right words. Osoro began drumming on the table in thought. 

“Oh my god.” Umeiji’s eyes widened. “You actually fuckin’ did it.”

“And you said she wouldn’t!” Hokuto prodded at him with his spoon. “You owe me 20!”

“Will you shut the hell up?! I'm trying to make a point here!” Osoro snapped.

“Get on with it! We're listening!”

“Look,” Osoro looked down at Amai, who despite being occupied with eating, was still struggling not to laugh. “I guess we're a... thing?”

“Fuck yeah! Called it!” Hokuto cheered. “Pay up, morons!”

“You were betting on us?!” Osoro glared.

“No offense, boss, but you were pretty obvious about it.”

“Not to mention Umeiji can’t keep his mouth shut.” Dairoku snorted, reaching for his glass of lemonade and ignoring the dirty looks Umeiji threw his way.

Amai laughed. The others soon followed after, joining her in a chorus of laughter. Moments like this made it feel like they truly were a family. Being able to sit down together and enjoy a meal filled Amai with a happiness she couldn't quite explain. 

"So, who did it first?" Hayanari waggled his eyebrows. 

"Osoro did!" Amai beamed. 

"Ha! Make that 30 now!" Hokuto crossed his arms and smirked.

"Goddamn--" Umeiji rolled his eyes and began fishing around his jacket pocket for his wallet.

"It was very sweet." Amai looked up in thought as she reminisced on that fateful day. "So passionate and emotional!"

"She's exaggerating." Osoro huffed.

"All in all, it was very cute." Amai flashed her a devilish smile. Before Osoro could protest, Amai had brought another cookie to her lips. Osoro glared at her for a brief moment before taking a bite. 

“So, what, you two are a  _ real _ thing now?” Gaku twirled his fork between his fingers.

“You could say that!” Amai hummed in thought. She rested her head on Osoro's shoulder and peered up at her. “At least, I'd like to think we're actually dating now.”

Osoro nearly choked at the mention of the word “dating”. 

“You better treat her right, Boss.” Gaku smirked, finally setting his fork down. “Wouldn't want somebody to swoop in and sweep her off her feet.”

“The fuck are you trying to get at?” Osoro suddenly spoke up, her grip on Amai tightening.

“Relax! I'm just sayin’!” 

“There’s no way in hell that I'm letting Odayaka go.” Osoro huffed and took another indignant bite of her cookie. “Out of the reactions she expected to get from them, being made fun of was most certainly  _ not  _ one of them. But something about seeing the people she cared most about so genuinely happy made her feel a bit soft. 

Amai turned to look at her. “Osoro, that’s so--”

“ _ Cheeeesy! _ ” Dairoku jeered. 

“Osoro’s got a girlfriend~” Hokuto sung, fighting back the urge to laugh.

“Alright, I get it! For fuck’s sake!” Osoro huffed.

“Admit it, you  _ liiiiiike  _ her.” Hayanari joined in the taunting.

“Well, duh, dumbass! Why do you think we’re doing this?!”

Laughter soon erupted around the table once more, the mood leaving just as quickly as it came. The afternoon continued on with laughter and camaraderie. Before she knew it, Osoro found herself laughing along with everyone. Sharing good food with people she cared the most about-- it was the perfect way to celebrate her return to school. Part of her wanted to stay in the moment, relish in the joy for just a moment longer before they parted ways and returned home. Tomorrow would be a new day, and it would only be a memory. But until that day, one more cookie and a slice of cake wouldn’t hurt.

* * *

 

“Goddamn Shidesu.” Aoi growled, peering through the glass pane of the door. Her fist clenched in rage, trembling a bit. “Fucking  _ suspension.  _ What kinda bull--”

“Hey, Cyclops.” Aoi suddenly felt a finger jab her in the neck. Aoi’s body tensed up as she turned to punch her assailant, only to have her arm caught mid-swing. The brief glimpse of white hair was enough to make her instantly groan. 

“Whoa there, sailor! No fighting!” Shiromi snickered. “Spyin’ on our favorite problem child?”

Aoi snatched her arm away, frowning. “I’m not “spying”! I’m just making sure she’s not trying to screw up everything we’ve fixed.”

“Riiiight. Because a glorified tea party is obviously a front for their devious plot.”

“Look,” Aoi crossed her arms. “We got rid of  _ most  _ of them. But the others...”

“Oh my gooood, Aoi why do you caaaaaaare?” Shiromi whined. “They’re not even doing anything! You wanna ship ‘em to guidance for eating snickerdoodles?”

“You wouldn’t get it.” Aoi huffed, removing herself from the door and storming off. Shiromi blinked in surprise as she watched Aoi turn the corner and leave. 

“Oho?” Her expression quickly shifted into a devious grin. “Sounds like a challenge.” She chuckled to herself and took a peek through the small window. Her grin grew wider upon seeing Amai leaning comfortably into Osoro. Shiromi removed herself from the door, covering her mouth before her laughter escalated into a full on cackle. 

“Duly noted!” Shiromi hummed as she turned on her heel and continued down the hall. Perhaps it was time to call in that favor after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whaaaaat? a drabble and a new chapter? in the span of two days? surprise! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°  
> inspiration hit me like a truck and i got enough to finish this chapter! and uh...start on something that'll pop up later down the line.  
> thank you so much for being patient with me! all the lovely comments you guys have left really warms my heart ~  
> Σ>―(〃°ω°〃)♡→  
> Osomai is still so good okay bye ♡


	11. Favors

Shiromi was never one to follow protocol.

She had her own way of doing things-- and they _worked_. As unorthodox as they were, they got the job done, and that's all that mattered to her. She knew how to get what she wanted, sometimes without getting involved in the situation at all. She was an anomaly, as chaotic and peculiar as can be.

Of course, she considered herself to be quite normal.

Shiromi slumped down in her seat, brows knitted as she read over the budget for the school festival for what felt like the hundredth time that week. The rest of the student council were out and about making their rounds while she was stuck inside of the meeting room, staring at the same numbers until her eyes began to cross. After a while, she set the paper down with a sigh and put her feet up on the desk.

“...Okay, I'm taking a nap now!” Shiromi announced, glancing around the room for any potential opposition. “Speak now or forever hold your peace!”

Silence.

Shiromi leaned back further, releasing a content sigh as her eyes lidded. She half expected Kuroko to come barging in, barking various protests and orders. After reaffirming that the coast was clear, Shiromi pulled her scarf over her mouth and began to doze off.

“Shiromi.” The sound of a stack of papers hitting the desk made Shiromi flinch. Maybe, just maybe, if she didn't open her eyes and pretended to be dead--

_"Shiromi_.”

“God, what is it now?” Shiromi huffed as she sat back up, opening her eyes only to see Aoi glaring at her.

“File these. I got other things to do.” Aoi turned to leave.

“Again?” Shiromi groaned as she thumbed through the stack. “You keep this up and I’m snitchin’ to Saikou!”

“Is that a threat or a promise?” Aoi paused, glancing back towards her.

“I _promise_ that you _will_ be threatened.” Shiromi stuck out her tongue.

“Just throw ‘em in the file. I already did everything else.” Aoi shook her head and finally exited the room.

“Yeah, yeah, I gotcha.” Shiromi waved her off and began flipping through the papers again. So much for her midday nap. Maybe if Akane came in, she could get away with the same excuse…

“Alright, focus!” Shiromi whispered to herself as she picked up Aoi’s stack. She stood up and moved towards the filing cabinet, setting the papers down on top of the cabinet and opening one of the drawers. “Focus, focus, focus.” She repeated to herself and picked up the first sheet.

“Fo-- Aww, Aoi’s handwriting is so cute.” Shiromi smiled, thoroughly distracted. She abandoned the cabinet and returned to her chair, holding the paper up in the air. Upon realizing that sheer boredom had caused her to admire handwriting of all things, Shiromi slowly set the paper down on the desk.

Without any incidents, arguments, or accidents, Shiromi’s job was rather boring. She slumped down in her seat again, praying for a some sort of urgent matter to bring her out of the office. Suddenly, an idea struck her. A rather devilish idea, but an idea nonetheless.

Of course, Shiromi considered it to be quite a normal idea.

She reached into a drawer, pulling out a blank sheet of paper and a pen. Uncapping the pen, Shiromi began to write. Today was sure to become much, _much_ more interesting.

* * *

 

“You know, I've never been to _your_ house.”

“I don't live too far from here. You should come by after school! We could stop by my parent's bakery and everything!”

Amai and Osoro walked through the halls, hand in hand as they made conversation. The fact that they were dating wasn't much of a secret, but curious stares still found their way towards them. Nobody dared to ask questions. The ominous glimmer in Osoro's eyes was the only answer that they needed. It was if the two of them were in their own little world, blissfully and purposefully unaware of the rumors that circulated. Of course, there were a few who seemed relieved that the delinquents had ceased their reign of terror after they began dating. The halls of Akademi seemed safer.  Their relationship appeared to have more benefits-- both for the two of them, and for the general public.

“I dunno, I feel like your folks…” Osoro frowned, struggling to find the right words. “They'd be a bit leery of me.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Odayaka, look at me.” Osoro gestured at her bandaged arms first before pointing to the scar on her cheek. “I look like shit!”

“Oh, hush! You're fine!” Amai playfully nudged her with her free hand. “They'll love you! My mother seems very excited to meet you!!”

“Your...mom?”

“I've been told we have the same type in partners.” Amai winked.  “My father used to be quite the bad boy back in his day.”

Osoro's brow furrowed,struggling to picture Amai being related to a big, bad, juvenile delinquent in _any_ capacity. Cold, steely gaze, bruised knuckles, a splash of blood smeared across their cheek-- She began frowning again. “I...I can't see it. There's no way.”

Amai chuckled. “Well, you'll have to come see yourself!”

The two paused outside of the clubroom. Amai looked up at Osoro, hesitantly letting go of her hand. “I'll join you outside, alright?”

“You need any help?”

“Oh, it shouldn't take long! I think I know how to carry a few lunch boxes myself!” Amai put her hands on her hips and grinned. Osoro smiled a bit and ruffled her hair.

“Alright. You know where to find us.” Osoro waved her off as she turned around the corner and departed.

Amai nodded and quickly ducked inside of the club room. She made a beeline for the fridge, throwing it open and stacking lunch boxes onto the counter.  Ever since Osoro's suspension, Amai had become an expert in lunch transportation. Thankfully, she didn't have to travel anywhere near the stairs, lest her hard work be scattered and dripping all over the floors. As she began pulling the last of the lunches out of the fridge, she glanced up to see a pair of black eyes gazing at her from across the counter.

Amai yelped, nearly dropping the box in her hands as she scrambled backwards.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Relax! S’just me.” Shiromi smirked, leaning forward. “Your friendly neighborhood Shiromi checking in on her favorite club leader.”

“Shiromi!” Amai let out a sigh of relief and carefully placed the box along with the others.  “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t expecting--”

“Don’t be. I’ve come to turn in my favor.”

Amai suddenly broke out into a nervous sweat. She knew this moment was coming, yet the feeling of unease settled so deeply into her core that she could have sworn she were going to pass out in that very moment.  She swallowed, hesitant to speak. “Okay...Alright. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it. I’ll...I’ll do my best!”

“Pinky swear?” Shiromi suddenly held out her pinky.

“I, um. Yes?” Before Amai could raise her hand, Shiromi whipped out a folded up piece of paper from her skirt pocket.

“Deliver this for me.”

“De...liver?” Amai hesitantly took the paper from her.

“Aoi shoved this in my hands and told me to give it to Osoro.” Shiromi shrugged. “But I’ve got a million things to file and I _really_ didn’t have time to hunt her down. Must be serious if Aoi of all people is writing notes. She hasn’t been doing anything _naughty,_ has she?” She wiggled her eyebrows, the impish smile settling back onto her lips.

“S-Sure! No problem, but um. I was expecting something else.”

“Come on, Odayaka! I’m not _all_ bad. Besides, I got a bunch of favors to collect and too much to do. Just wanted to get your name off the list. ” Shiromi winked. “You’re welcome!”

“Thank you?”

“Oop, gotta go. Only get one lunch break, you know.” Shiromi saluted Amai before leaving just as quickly as she entered. Amai could only stare, completely dumbfounded. She couldn’t even tell if what had happened was _real_ or not. She closed the refrigerator with her foot and returned her attention to the lunchboxes. She looked down at the note. What if Shiromi was right? What if Osoro was in trouble? Curiosity began to gnaw away at her nerves. Just a peek wouldn’t hurt…

Amai paused. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t.

She looked down at the paper, running her fingernail along the sharp creases. Looking around the room, Amai made sure that there were no other lingering classmates within the room. She unfolded the note and began reading to herself.  


_I thought about what you said and I don’t know to say this_

_Or if I should_

_Saying it to your face is the ~~fucking~~ dumbest thing I could do _

_And what you’re doing is seriously fucked up_

_But I think_

_I still ~~might~~ kinda like you? _

_Don't bother writing back.  Just toss it in the trash after you read it._

_I just needed to get it out_

_So. Yeah. That’s that._

 

_\-- A.R_

Amai read over the note twice, then thrice.

“Huh.” She frowned and folded the note back up. Her chest suddenly felt heavy. She didn’t know what to think, or even if she had any thoughts in the first place. She was under the assumption that the two barely knew each other outside of school. Surely they didn’t harbor a relationship-- especially not right under her nose. And yet, the ‘what if’s?’ immediately began filling Amai’s head with thoughts of doubt. What did she mean by "still"? What was Osoro 'doing'? Amai gripped the counter, trying to calm herself down. 

“It's okay! It's okay. Just...talk to her about it! I’m sure it’s nothing!” Amai whispered to herself. If there was one thing she learned from her parents and terrible romantic comedies, it was that communication was important. Once common sense regain its control, she felt a bit better.

“Yo, Odayaka!” Umeiji suddenly poked his head through the doorway. “You good?”

“O-Oh! Yes, I'm alright!”

“Boss sent me back here to help you carry some stuff.” Umeiji stepped inside of the room and walked over to her.

“Aw, you’re so sweet!” Amai suddenly remembered her intial task and quickly tossed the paper onto the counter. She picked up half of the stack and hurried into the hall.“Just take the other half and we’ll be on our way!”

“I’m only doin’ this because she told me to! Don’t get it twisted!” Umeiji called out after her, picking up the other half and following Amai down the hall.

 

* * *

“...Is the coast clear?"

“Saki, she wouldn’t be mad if we ate in there.”

"Yeah, but is the coast clear?"

"I-- Yes. She just left."

“Come on! This is the only time I get the club room to myself!” Saki grabbed Kokona’s hand and made a mad dash down the hall. She threw open the door and pushed Kokona inside before slamming it shut. “Finally! We have our own super secret lunch spot!”

“Can’t we just eat in the courtyard?” Kokona frowned.

“What are we, first years?” Saki pouted. “Come oooon, live a little!” She set her belongings down in a chair and began fishing around in her bag for her lunch. “Hey, can you grab the salt? I wanna actually _taste_ my salmon today.”

“Where is it?” Kokona drifted towards the kitchen area.

“Check the drawer next to the fridge!”

Kokona’s attention was immediately drawn towards a small block of white sitting on top of the counter. Without a second thought, she grabbed the piece of paper and unfolded it.

“Kokonaaaaa! Our food is gonna be cold!”

“Gimme a sec!” Kokona squinted. “I...I found something.”

Saki groaned and walked over to Kokona, slinging an arm around shoulder. “What, like a grocery list?”

“Not exactly.” She handed Saki the note.

“Then what--” Saki suddenly gasped, her eyes widening as she read. “Oh. My god. Kokona, when were you gonna tell me that you had a secret admirer?”

“This isn’t mine! It was back here already!”

“You think...no, it couldn’t possibly.” Saki began to pace. "Amai was the only other person in here before us. Well, her and that blonde guy. But he was only in here for a few seconds!"

“Saki, I think you’re thinking too hard about this.”

“We’ve got ourselves a real big mystery here!” Saki stroked her chin in thought. “A.R… Asu? Nah, she doesn’t talk like that. I’ve seen her writing. Looks like chicken scratch. Couldn’t _possibly_ be her.”

“Maybe Amai wrote it?’

“Amai doesn’t swear! Come on, Kokona, think!”

“...Do you think...this is Aoi’s?”  
Saki paused. “Aoi. Ryugoku. No way.”

“It fits. I mean, the language, the initials--”

“But her and _Amai?_ ”

“She obviously has a type, you know.” Kokona took the paper from Saki, reading over it again.

“Kokona, do you _know_ what this means?!”

“We should give this back to Amai! She left in a hurry so--”

“Kokona. Listen.” Saki suddenly grabbed Kokona by the shoulders. “I hate to say it but...we gotta do something.”

“Oh no. Absolutely not. I am _not_ getting wrapped up in one of your schemes again!” Kokona tore away from her.

“Come oooon! Nothing fun ever happens around here! Think about it, a love triangle is just the thing we need to spice things up!”

“Saki. No.”

“We could push things along way faster if you helped!" Saki waved her hands around as she poke. "Maybe Aoi will be less _blegh_ if she had someone sweet like Amai to--”

“Can we drop this for now? I just want to eat lunch!”

Saki pouted. “Alright, fine. But, on one condition!”

Kokona began folding the note back up. “Fine. What do you want?”

Saki reached over and snatched it out of her hands. “ _I’ll_ hold onto this.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the weirdest burst of inspiration when writing this...but I really wanted to put out a new chapter before the New Year! Drama sure is something, huh? (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b
> 
> Thank you so so much for reading! The comments I get really make me all warm and fuzzy ( ´ ▽ ` )
> 
> Osomai is still a top tier ship...just saying.


	12. Assumptions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, hi! Today marks the one year anniversary of Angel in an Apron! (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ  
> What better way to celebrate than a new chapter?  
> This was supposed to be a oneshot but...it evolved! Thank you so much for reading! Osomai is life. ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡

Things were strange.

Perhaps a bit too strange.

Osoro never noticed it until she saw it happen with her own eyes. Whenever she and Amai would pass the student council room, Amai would suddenly get a bit flustered and speed up a bit. Whenever Aoi crossed her path, the two would suddenly get this look, and carry on about their day. Osoro was sure it was nothing. But the more frequently it happened, the more curious she became. This exchange carried on for weeks, and only seemed to become increasingly awkward with each passing day.

She was unsure how to bring it up, or if she even had the ability to do so.

Osoro found herself in the halls of Akademi one afternoon, taking a walk around the building just to stretch her legs out a bit. She took slow strides as she admired the peace and quiet of the building.

“Kokona, do you still have the letter?”

Osoro paused. She stepped behind a wall to observe.

“Um, hold on!” Osoro recognized the two girls. One was apart of the Cooking Club, while the other hung around her quite often. What was her name again? Saki?

“You think this is working?”

“I mean, I think so! You've seen the way they look at each other.” Kokona pulled a piece of paper from her bag. “Got it!”

“Gimme!” Saki took it, inspecting it for a moment.

Osoro squinted. Something wasn't right.

"Shouldn't we head back to class?" Kokona looked over her shoulder nervously.

"Gimme a sec! I gotta slide this--"

"Hold up." Osoro approached. Saki and Kokona immediately froze, the color draining from their faces.

"Ohhhhh...no..." Kokona's voice was barely a whisper.

"O-Osoro! Hi! We were just...leaving!" Saki grabbed Kokona, turning to leave. Osoro stepped in front of them and intercepted their escape plan.

"Hey," The corners of Osoro's lips twitched as she feigned a smile. "Whatcha got there?"

"Oh, nothing!" Saki laughed a bit too hard.

"Yeah?" Osoro's voice went up an octave as she leaned in, her eyes closing as she smiled harder. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"F-Friends?" Saki squeaked.

"Come on. Be honest. It's just me." Her eyes opened, a dangerous shine within them.

"I--"

"Please don't hurt us!" Kokona snatched the letter from Saki and held it out for Osoro to take.

"Kokona, you snake! What are you--"

"You saw what she did to that Aishi girl! Do you _want_ to be beaten to a pulp?" Kokona tugged at Saki's sleeve. "We were just dropping this off! Can we go now?"

"Stay right there, mmkay?" Osoro smiled again as she unfolded the paper. "I'm gonna read this. Mind hanging around?"

"O-Osoro..." Saki began to tremble.

"Move and I'll _crush_ you." Osoro's smile quickly vanished. The two didn't say a word as she began to read the note.

 

_Miss Aoi,_

_I've taken your words under careful consideration, and I've realized that I may harbor a few feelings of my own._

_If you truly feel the same, then perhaps we should arrange a time for us to chat?_

_I'll be waiting for your response with bated breath <3_

_~ Amai_

 

"The fuck?" Osoro scowled, nearly tearing the paper as her grip tightened. Her mind raced from one accusation to the next, and yet all she could do was stare down at the words before her. She could feel her fists clenching and her blood boiling. She crumpled up the paper and shoved it into her pocket. "Which one of you--"

"It was me!" Kokona was on the verge of tears. "I wrote it!"

"She's lying! I did it! She told me not to but I did!" Saki stepped in front of Kokona. "S-So if you wanna hurt anybody...you gotta go through me!"

"You? Please. I could snap your neck right now if I felt like it." Osoro rolled her eyes. "What you're gonna do is answer a few questions for me. Play nicely, and you may walk away in one piece. Got it?"

Saki nodded.

"You trying to matchmake Odayaka with that one-eyed freak?"

"Not necessarily!"

"Give me _one_ good reason why you thought that was a good idea."

"We found a note in the club room," Kokona spoke up. "From Aoi to Amai...and we thought that they had some sort of thing going on!"

"Y-Yeah! You know, a lovey-dovey sort of thing!" Saki added.

"From Aoi?" Osoro frowned.

"Something about liking her for a long time-- at least, that's what I remember..." Kokona's voice trailed off as she watched Osoro clench a fist. Osoro couldn't tell what angered her more, the fact that she didn't catch on earlier, or the thought of _Aoi_ of all people trying to steal her girlfriend.

"Get the hell out of here." She growled. Saki and Kokona wasted no time as they scrambled to return to class. Osoro felt her hands tremble as she made her way down the hall. Her head was still swimming. She couldn't even begin describe the emotion she was feeling. Only one thing was for certain:

Somebody had to pay.

* * *

 

"Hey, Kuroko," Shiromi rested her on the table in front of her, lazily swirling her cup of tea. "You believe in karma?"

"Beg pardon?" Kuroko raised an eyebrow as she looked up from her notebook.

"Karma. Ya know, what goes around, comes around?"

"In theory... I suppose I do." Kuroko returned to her notebook, quickly writing. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wonderin'." Shiromi shrugged.

The doors to the room opened, revealing Akane and Aoi behind them. The two took their seats in their usual spots.

"Good afternoon, everyone!" Akane smiled. "Are we ready to begin our meeting?"

"Aye, aye, cap'n!" Shiromi saluted her.

"Right then." Kuroko stood up, setting her pen down on the table. "I'll contact Megami postha--"

The door suddenly slammed open. "RYUGOKU, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

Everyone's eyes widened as they turned to see Osoro stalk into the room. The fury was clear in her eyes, and rage was dripping from her voice

"Oh, Jesus." Aoi rolled her eyes.

Akane was the first one to stand up. "Miss Shidesu, please--"

"Shut the fuck up and sit the fuck down! This doesn't concern you!" She pointed at Akane. Akane squeaked, sitting back down quickly.

"This behavior is completely uncalled for!" Kuroko rose her voice. "Keep this up and we will get Ms. Kunahito involved."

"Yeah? Call her. I fuckin' dare you." Osoro hissed.

"Excuse me?!"

"You're a real slimy bitch." Osoro approached Aoi, completely ignoring Kuroko. Before Aoi could react, Osoro had yanked Aoi out of her chair, sending it clattering against the floor. "You think this is funny? Think it's a joke?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Aoi pushed Osoro off of her, putting distance between them. "Don't touch me!"

"Ooooh, Aoi's in trouble!" Shiromi sung, smirking.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Osoro closed the distance between them.

"Osoro, if you don't back off--" Aoi clenched her fists, feeling the heat rush through her body.

"YOU back off!" She jabbed a finger at Aoi's chest. "You kick my people out, you managed to get rid of me, you start playing with the people I actually give a shit about--"

"I said, don't touch me!" Aoi slapped Osoro's hand away. "Who do you think you are-- stomping in here and starting shit for no goddamn reason?"

"Why are you always trying to fuck with me, huh?! What, because we don't run in the same circles anymore?"

"You're a real basket case, Osoro! You're fucking crazy!"

"Look, if you got a problem, take it up with me! Leave Odayaka out of it!"

Akane and Kuroko looked at each other, completely baffled. The situation definitely warranted intervention, and yet they couldn't bring themselves to stop watching, both out of intrigue and fear. Shiromi, on the other hand, was relishing in the chaos.

"Maybe your girl's a floozy and you've got your head so far up your ass that you can't see it!"

Without thinking, Osoro swung at Aoi, landing a solid punch across her cheek. The world spun for a moment as Aoi staggered backwards. Everything went fuzzy, and all she would see was Osoro approaching her once more.

"You wanna repeat that? Say it louder."

Aoi laughed dryly, finally beginning to regain her balance. "Too fancy of a word for you? She's a _whore_ , Osoro!"

Osoro swung again, but missed. Aoi took the opportunity to land a punch of her own, right into Osoro's stomach. Time froze for a millisecond before the two broke out into an all out fist fight, spitting obscenities and accusations one after the other. They ended up on the floor, rolling around as one tried to subdue the other. Akane finally got up again, frantically searching for her pepper spray.

"Kuroko, please get the guidance counselor!"

"Understood!" Kuroko snapped out of her trance and rushed out of the room.

"Shiromi, do something!" Akane pleaded, rifling through her belongings to find her bottle.

"I'll help you look!" Shiromi got on her knees, pretending to look under the table while watching the fight.

Aoi clawed at Osoro's face, leaving behind all ounces of her self control. "You're lucky she bothers to keep you around! If I had it my way, your ass would've been thrown out  _years_ ago!"

Osoro threw Aoi off of her, immediately crawling over to her and landing a few more blows across her face. "I told you, I don't fuck with you anymore! Why can't you leave it alone?!"

"Go to hell, Osoro!" Aoi grabbed Osoro's neck, squeezing until Osoro recoiled.

"If I'm goin', I'm dragging you with me!" Osoro managed to rip Aoi's eyepatch away from her face before falling back. Aoi lunged at her again, using all of her strength to strangle her. Osoro resorted to biting into Aoi's arm, receiving a piercing howl and a slap across the face from her.

Students in the halls gather to watch the fight. Even the more passive students couldn't help but stare. People began pulling out their cellphones and recording the fight. Students cheered, some rooting for Osoro, others for Aoi. Chaos erupted in the hall as more students clamored to watch. Amai wiggled her way through to crowd to see what all the fuss was about. She finally squeezed into the room and felt her heart drop at the sight before her. Without a second thought, she rushed to Osoro's side, bending down and attempting to pull Aoi back.

"What are you doing?! Stop!" She grabbed onto Aoi's arm, trying to pull her back.

"Back off!" Aoi elbowed Amai in the face, barely batting an eye. Amai shrieked as she fell down, pressing her hand over her eye.

"Amai!" Osoro's focus suddenly snapped from Aoi to Amai. She rolled over onto her stomach and crawled over to her. "What the hell did you do that for?!"

"What are you doing? Do you want to be expelled?" Amai squeezed her eye shut, turning away. "Whatever this is about, just stop!

"Don't act like you don't know!" Aoi snapped. "This is your fault!"

"My fault?" Amai huffed. "What are you talking about?"

"The letters? The little notes you've been dropping off? Don't think I haven't seen them!" A chorus of "Ooohs" followed from the students beyond the door. Aoi picked her eyepatch up off of the floor. She tied it behind her head, returning it to its rightful place on her face. "Never took you for a two timing hussy."

"Letters? Me?" Amai frowned. "What are you talking about? I never wrote you a thing!" She gingerly touched her eye.

"Stop. Let me see." Osoro grabbed Amai's hand, pulling it away from her face. Amai flinched as Osoro pressed down on a forming bruise. "Does it hurt or--"

"I'm fine!" Amai took a breath. "I'm fine." She repeated, opening her eye.

"You got some nerve, Ryogoku." Osoro scowled. "I oughta kill you right now!

"Osoro, stop!" Amai suddenly took Osoro's hand in hers. "Please, just stop! I don't want you to get suspended again!" Her voice shook as she squeezed Osoro's hand. "I really don't want you to leave...!" She finally began to cry, trembling as she sobbed. "Just stop it! _Please..."_

"Everyone, get to where you're supposed to be!" Genka's voice boomed through the halls, sending students scattering in different directions. Her heels clicked as she stormed into the room, arms crossed and eyebrows high. She glared down at Osoro and Aoi.

"You two. My office. Now."

Amai looked up at Osoro she slowly stood up. She tightened her grip on Osoro's hand.

"Odayaka," Osoro sighed, pulling Amai up with her. "Look. It's gonna be fine."

Amai pressed her face into Osoro's shirt, soaking the fabric with her tears. Muffled cries of "Please" interspersed with hiccups were the only thing to be heard as the room suddenly became silent. Osoro said nothing-- there was nothing to be said. She hugged Amai closer to her chest, squeezing her tight.

"It's fine." Osoro repeated. "Don't worry, okay?"

"Miss Odayaka, were you involved in this dispute?" Genka walked over to Amai, her expression softening.

Amai pulled herself away, wiping her tears. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times to adjust. "Y-Yes, ma'am."

"No, she wasn't." Osoro interjected. "It was me."

"No! I was involved! You have to punish me too!"

Genka pushed up her glasses, shaking her head. She placed a comforting hand on Amai's shoulder. "We'll get your side of things in a moment. For the time being, please go straight to the nurse's office."

"Is it that bad?" Amai's eyes widened.

"I wouldn't call it a black eye, but a second opinion would be beneficial." She took a moment to inspect Amai's eye. "I'll send for you in a minute. As for you, Miss Shidesu, please take a seat in my office."

Osoro reluctantly let go of Amai and wiped the remnants of her tears with her thumbs. "I'll see you in a minute." Her hands drifted down to Amai's cheeks. "Okay?"

"Don't leave again." Amai murmured. "Please don't."

"I have no control over that." Osoro gave her cheeks a firm squeeze before releasing her. "Fingers crossed, yeah?" She smirked, following Genka out of the room and into her office.

Amai watched them as they left, feeling her chest tighten as the door closed behind them.

"Well then!" Shiromi suddenly appeared behind Amai, startling her. "Let's get you checked out, Miss Odayaka!" She clapped a hand on her shoulder, guiding her out of the student council room. Amai could feel Shiromi pushing her, yet she couldn't bring herself to protest.

"I guess it's true what they say." Shiromi mused. "Bad things do happen to good people, huh?" She stifled a laugh, shaking her head.

Amai didn't respond. She moved forward, quickening her pace and refusing to entertain Shiromi's nonsense for one more second. Shiromi frowned for a brief moment before returning to her usual impish smile. She walked faster to match Amai's pace.

"Say, Amai." Shiromi hummed, pausing for a brief moment. "You believe in karma?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with me a whole year! I'm going back and editing some of the previous chapters when I can. I want to make this something people look back fondly on...
> 
> Stay tuned for something special before the end of the month! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

**Author's Note:**

> this is the most self indulgent thing i've ever written to date
> 
> welcome to rarepair hell


End file.
